Following Big Ten football games on Oct. 26-27, the Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week and Co-Freshmen of the Week in the Big Ten were announced this morning.
Since the Big Ten added a Special Teams Player of the Week award prior to the 1994 football season, no individual had previously earned both Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Week honors in the same week until Maryland’s Javon Leake did so this week (Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers was both Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 19, 2016).
Below are this week’s honorees:
Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Week
Javon Leake, Maryland
So., RB, Greensboro, N.C./Page
Recorded 274 all-purpose yards in Maryland’s victory over Illinois and scored four total touchdowns, the most for a Maryland player since D.J. Adams had four in the 2010 Military Bowl
Rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns on just five carries, finding the end zone from 62, 27 and 43 yards while averaging 28 yards per carry
Returned three kickoffs for 134 yards, including a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown for Maryland’s first score of the game
Earns his first career Offensive Player of the Week award
Last Maryland Offensive Player of the Week: Ty Johnson (Oct. 3, 2016)
Claims his first career Special Teams Player of the Week
Last Maryland Special Teams Player of the Week: Ty Johnson (Oct. 8, 2018)
Defensive Player of the Week
Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
So., DE, Spotsylvania, Va./Chancellor
Recorded a team-high nine tackles, including seven solo stops, in Penn State’s win against Iowa
Tallied a career-high 4.0 tackles for loss in the contest
Notched a pair of sacks to tie his career high
Receives his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor
Last Penn State Defensive Player of the Week: Jason Cabinda (Oct. 23, 2017)
Co-Freshmen of the Week
Rocky Lombardi, Michigan State
Fr., QB, Clive, Iowa/Valley
Completed 26 of 46 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns against Purdue in his first career start
Recorded touchdown tosses of 11 yards in the second quarter and 48 yards in the fourth quarter
Notched the second-most passing yards by a Spartan quarterback making his first career start, trailing only Ed Smith’s 324 yards against North Carolina State in 1976
Records his first Freshman of the Week award
Last Michigan State Freshman of the Week: Cody White (Oct. 30, 2017)
Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Fr., QB, Union, Ky./Ryle
Making his first career start, threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns while completing 70.8 percent of his passes (17 for 24) in Minnesota’s victory over Indiana
Found fellow freshman Rashod Bateman for a 67-yard game-winning touchdown with 1:34 left in the game
Notched the fourth-most passing yards by a Minnesota freshman quarterback since 1980 and the most since Adam Weber had 352 passing yards against Wisconsin in 2007
Records his first Freshman of the Week award
Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Mohamed Ibrahim (Oct. 15, 2018)