Pitt running back James Conner admits he likes the feeling that sweeps through his body when he runs over a defender.

“It sets a tone,” he said. He did that repeatedly this season, leaving defensive backs and linebackers in his wake while running for 1,675 yards and setting Pitt and conference records for touchdowns (24). It paid off Wednesday, when he was named ACC Player of the Year, beating out reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston of Florida State.

Conner, a sophomore from Erie, won in tight balloting among 55 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association, receiving 16 votes to finish three ahead of Winston, the conference player of the year in 2013.

The numbers compiled by Conner are impressive, but the game he said that meant the most was Miami last week, when he ran for only 75 yards.

“I grew up a litte bit,” he said.

Conner played that game, one Pitt needed to win to become bowl eligible, despite a painful hip pointer.

“It didn't feel good; just know that,” he said. “I really found myself. I was hurting. I found a way. That's what coach (Paul) Chryst talks about, finding a way.”

The best way Conner knew to accomplish his goals this season was to follow the lead set by Pitt All-American defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who was ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 before becoming a first-round draft choice of the St. Louis Rams.

“He always said the same thing: Hard work pays off,” Conner said of Donald. “This whole offseason that's been my motto. Thanks for Aaron for setting the standard for me.”

After two years of conditioning under Pitt's strength coaches, Conner said he has become noticeably faster and stronger compared to his freshman season, when he also led Pitt in rushing with 799 yards.

“I looked at the tape, and I got faster, and I was stronger,” he said.

This season, he also was dominant in the ACC, finishing fourth in the nation in rushing behind Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon (2,260 yards), Indiana's Tevin Coleman (2,036) and San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey (1,761). Conner's total of 1,675 is the sixth-highest total in Pitt history. He has gained 2,474 career yards to rank 10th all-time in Pitt history.

Plus, he isn't the first Pitt player to receive the conference's highest honor.

Before Donald, H.B. Blades, Scott McKillop, Greg Romeus, Mick Williams and Jabaal Sheard won defensive honors from the Big East. Billy West, Antonio Bryant, Larry Fitzgerald and Dion Lewis were offensive players of the year in Pitt's former conference.

During the Miami game, Conner broke Tony Dorsett's school record of 23 touchdowns set in 1976. When he walked into the locker room, he received a phone call from Dorsett.

“I was shocked,” Conner said. “I got to talk to a Pitt legend. That's a moment I will remember forever.”

Conner wasn't named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, shoved aside by Gordon, Coleman and Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah, who gained 152 fewer yards.

“It's all right,” Conner said. “It just adds more fuel to the fire.”

Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.

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