Following Big Ten football games on Nov. 17, the Co-Offensive, Co-Defensive and Co-Special Teams Players of the Week and Freshman of the Week in the Big Ten were announced this morning. Below are this week’s honorees:
Co-Offensive Players of the Week
Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
So., QB, Potomac, Md./Bullis School
Responsible for six touchdowns in Ohio State’s overtime victory at Maryland
Completed 28 of 38 passes for 405 yards, giving him 3,685 passing yards on the season to break Joe Germaine’s school single-season record set in 1998
Threw three touchdown passes to increase his total to 36 this season, topping J.T. Barrett’s Ohio State record for passing touchdowns in a season set last year
Rushed for a career-high 59 yards and three touchdowns in the contest
Claims his fifth career Offensive Player of the Week award and fifth of the season, tying fellow Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith for the Big Ten single-season record set back in Smith’s Heisman Trophy-winning campaign in 2006
Last Ohio State Offensive Player of the Week: Dwayne Haskins (Oct. 8, 2018)
Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
So., RB, Salem, N.J./Salem
Carried 33 times for a career-high 321 yards in a victory over Purdue, the third-highest single-game total in Wisconsin history behind Melvin Gordon’s 408 yards against Nebraska in 2014 and Ron Dayne’s 339 yards versus Hawaii in 1996
Scored three touchdowns, including the game-winner on a 17-yard run in the game’s third overtime
Now has 3,846 career rushing yards, breaking fellow Badger Ron Dayne’s FBS record for combined rushing yards as a freshman and sophomore and joining Dayne (3,566 yards in 1996-97) and Georgia’s Herschel Walker (3,507, 1980-81) as the only FBS players to tally 3,500 rushing yards in their first two seasons
Earns his fourth career Offensive Player of the Week award and second of the season
Last Wisconsin Offensive Player of the Week: Jonathan Taylor (Sept. 10, 2018)
Co-Defensive Players of the Week
A.J. Epenesa, Iowa
So., DE, Glen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville
In a two-minute span in the second quarter against Illinois, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, scored a touchdown (19 yards, first of his career), recorded a sack, and blocked a punt
Finished the game with a career-high eight tackles along with 1.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and one pass break-up
Anchored a defense that recorded its second shutout of the season, the most since the team posted three shutouts in 1997
Claims his second career Defensive Player of the Week honor
Last Iowa Defensive Player of the Week: Anthony Nelson (Oct. 8, 2018)
Blake Cashman, Minnesota
Sr., LB, Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie
Recorded a career-high 20 tackles against Northwestern to become the first Big Ten player to record 20 tackles in a regulation game since 2013
Added one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and a pass break-up
Set a TCF Stadium record for tackles by a Gopher
Receives his second career Defensive Player of the Week honor and first since Nov. 21, 2016
Last Minnesota Defensive Player of the Week: Antoine Winfield Jr. (Sept. 10, 2018)
Co-Special Teams Players of the Week
Jake Moody, Michigan
Fr., K, Northville, Mich./Northville
Set a school record by going 6-for-6 on field goal attempts in Michigan’s victory over Indiana, breaking the record for most field goals in a Big Ten Conference game
Added an extra point to score a school-record 19 points in the contest
Converted field goal attempts from 23, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 yards
Earns his first career Special Teams Player of the Week honor
Last Michigan Special Teams Player of the Week: Donovan Peoples-Jones (Sept. 24, 2018)
Barret Pickering, Nebraska
Fr., K, Birmingham, Ala./Hoover
Accounted for all of Nebraska’s scoring in a 9-6 victory over Michigan State, with all three field goals coming in the fourth quarter
Hit a career-long, game-winning 47-yard field goal with 5:13 remaining in the fourth quarter
Has made his last eight field goal attempts and is now 12-of-16 on the season
Claims his first career Special Teams Player of the Week honor
Last Nebraska Special Teams Player of the Week: Sam Foltz (Oct. 5, 2015)
Freshman of the Week
Anthony McFarland, Maryland
Fr., RB, Hyattsville, Md./DeMaha Catholic
Rushed for 298 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries against Ohio State, marking the second-most rushing yards ever by a Terp and trailing only LaMont Jordan’s 306 yards in 1999
Averaged 14.2 yards per carry in the contest while breaking the 200-yard plateau for the second consecutive game
Scored on touchdown runs of 81 and 75 yards in the first quarter, finishing the opening quarter with the most rushing yards by an FBS player this season (175 yards)
Earns his second career Freshman of the Week award
Last Maryland Freshman of the Week: Anthony McFarland (Sept. 24, 2018)
