BiG Ten News

Co-Offensive Players of the Week
Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
So., QB, Union, Ky./Ryle

• Completed 21-of-22 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns in Minnesota’s victory at Purdue
• Completion percentage of .955 was the best single-game mark in conference history for any quarterback attempting 13 or more passes
• Recorded the most passing yards in a game by a Gopher since Adam Weber threw for 416 yards against Michigan State in 2009
• Earns his first career Offensive Player of the Week award
• Last Minnesota Offensive Player of the Week: Tyler Johnson (Sept. 16, 2019)

Sean Clifford, Penn State
So., QB, Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Xavier

• Threw for 398 yards and three touchdowns and added 54 yards and a touchdown on the ground in Penn State’s victory at Maryland
• Notched the third-most passing yards in a contest in school history and most since 2014
• Completed 26 of a career-high 31 passing attempts
• Claims his first career Offensive Player of the Week award
• Last Penn State Offensive Player of the Week: Miles Sanders (Sept. 24, 2018)

Defensive Player of the Week
Chris Orr, Wisconsin
Sr., LB, DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto

• Recorded nine tackles, including five solo stops, in the Badgers’ win against Northwestern
• Added two sacks and a forced fumble in the contest
• Anchored a defense that allowed just 255 yards, recorded 14.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, forced three turnovers and scored two touchdowns
• Receives his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor
• Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week: Leon Jacobs (Nov. 13, 2017)

Special Teams Player of the Week
Jacob Herbers, Minnesota
Sr., P, Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview

• Averaged 41.2 yards per punt on four attempts as Minnesota defeated Purdue
• Pinned the Boilermakers at their own 1 and 2 yard line on punts in a contest that the Gophers would win by seven points
• Has not allowed a punt return yard all season
• Claims his first career Special Teams Player of the Week honor
• Last Minnesota Special Teams Player of the Week: Demetrius Douglas (Nov. 26, 2018)

Freshman of the Week
Michael Penix Jr., Indiana
QB, Tampa, Fla./Tampa Bay Tech

• Finished 33-of-42 passing for 286 yards with a career-best three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown at Michigan State
• Completed a school-record 20-straight passes, the second-most consecutive completions in Big Ten history behind Chuck Long’s 22-straight in 1984
• His 33 completions were a career-high and share seventh on the program’s single-game list
• Earns his second career Freshman of the Week award
• Last Indiana Freshman of the Week: Michael Penix Jr. (Sept. 2, 2019)

• Six Big Ten games are on the docket this weekend, including four divisional matchups. The action kicks off with a trio of conference contests at noon ET on Saturday, when Iowa travels to Michigan, Penn State welcomes Purdue and Maryland heads to Rutgers …

• Five Big Ten teams remain undefeated on the season as Ohio State is 5-0, while Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin are 4-0 …

• Ohio State and Penn State currently rank among the top five nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Buckeyes rank third in scoring offense and fourth in scoring defense, scoring 52.4 points per game and allowing 8.6. The Nittany Lions are fifth in scoring offense (50.0 points per game) and second in scoring defense (7.5) …

• Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan completed 21-of-22 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns in the Gophers’ victory at Purdue. His completion percentage of .955 was the best single-game mark in conference history for any quarterback attempting 13 or more passes …

• With its 48-7 victory over Nebraska last weekend, Ohio State claimed its 11th straight win overall, marking the second-longest active streak among Autonomy Five teams. The Buckeyes have outscored their opponents 173-22 in the first half this season and have won four straight games by 40 points or more, tying the 1974 Ohio State team for the longest streak of 40-point wins by any Big Ten team since 1945 …

• Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields accounted for 4 touchdowns and became the first Big Ten quarterback to throw a touchdown pass and run for a touchdown in the first five games of a season since Antwaan Randle-El did so in 1999 ..

• Eight Big Ten Conference students are among the 185 semifinalists for the 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy. Now in its 30th year, the Campbell Trophy is presented annually to the nation’s top football scholar-athlete. Representing the Big Ten as this year’s Campbell Trophy semifinalists are Illinois’ Dre Brown, Indiana’s Nick Westbrook, Michigan’s Jordan Glasgow, Michigan State’s Cole Chewins, Northwestern’s Jared Thomas, Ohio State’s Jordan Fuller, Penn State’s Blake Gillikin and Purdue’s Markus Bailey …

• Three Big Ten standouts who have demonstrated excellence both on and off the field were selected as candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate football. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The list of candidates includes Indiana’s Nick Westbrook, Nebraska’s Mohamed Barry and Penn State’s Blake Gillikin …