Offensive Player of the Week
Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Jr., RB, Salem, N.J./Salem
- Totalled 183 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns at South Florida, becoming the first Big Ten student to record at least two rushing and two receiving touchdowns in the same game since Illinois’ Mikel Leshoure in 2010
- Rushed 16 times for 135 yards and a pair of touchdowns, topping the 100-yard rushing mark for the 23rd time in his career
- Caught two passess for 48 yards and two touchdowns, the first two receiving scores of his career
- Earns his fifth career Offensive Player of the Week award and first of the season
- Last Wisconsin Offensive Player of the Week: Jonathan Taylor (Nov. 19, 2018)
Defensive Player of the Week
Kenny Willekes, Michigan State
Sr., DE, Rockford, Mich./NorthPointe Christian
- Scored the first touchdown of his career with a fumble recovery in the end zone in Michigan State’s victory over Tulsa
- Tallied 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries in the contest
- Led the Spartans with seven tackles to help Michigan State set a school record by holding Tulsa to -73 rushing yards
- Receives his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor
- Last Michigan State Defensive Player of the Week: Josiah Scott (Nov. 26, 2018)
Special Teams Player of the Week
Logan Justus, Indiana
Sr., K, McCordsville, Ind./Mt. Vernon
- Tied a school record with four field goals, connecting on all of his attempts in the Hoosiers’ victory over Ball State
- Topped his previous career-long field goal three times, converting from 48, 49 and 50 yards in the contest, as well as from 30 yards
- Added two extra points to score 14 points in the contest
- Earns his second career Special Teams Player of the Week honor and first of the season
- Last Indiana Special Teams Player of the Week: Logan Justus (Nov. 12, 2018)
Freshman of the Week
Michael Penix Jr., Indiana
Fr., QB, Tampa, Fla./Tampa Bay Tech
- Became the first Indiana freshman quarterback to start a season-opener since Antwaan Randle El in 1998 and joined Randle El as the only Hoosier freshmen to record more than 300 passing yards in his first start
- Completed 24 of 40 passes for 326 yards and a touchdown in the team’s victory against Ball State
- Carried the ball seven times for 67 yards to finish the game with 393 total yards
- Earns his first career Freshman of the Week award
- Last Indiana Freshman of the Week: Stevie Scott (Sept. 17, 2018)
JUSTUS, PENIX HONORED BY B1G
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana fifth-year kicker Logan Justus and redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. picked up Big Ten honors on Monday morning, the conference announced. Justus was named Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time in his career, and Penix earned Freshman of the Week accolades in his first-career start.
In the Hoosiers 34-24 season-opening win over Ball State at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Justus matched a program record with a career-high four field goals, in four attempts, and three times bested his career-long with 48-, 49- and 50-yarders. He became the 11th Hoosier (22nd time) to record a 50-yarder.
The McCordsville, Ind., native collected his second game with at least three field goals, and is now 19-of-22 in his career (86.3 percent). Justus recorded his sixth-career multi-FG game, his fourth in five games, and he has hit 12 of his last 13 attempts.
Penix, the first IU freshman quarterback to start a season opener since Antwaan Randle El in 1998, finished with 326 passing yards on 24-of-40 with one touchdown and added 67 yards on the ground for a total of 393 yards.
The Tampa native’s total yardage and passing yardage trail only Randle El for the most in a freshman debut. Randle El posted 467 total yards and 385 passing yards against Western Michigan on Sept 12, 1998.
Up next, Indiana opens its 60th season at Memorial Stadium (52,656; FieldTurf) on Saturday, Sept. 7, against the Eastern Illinois Panthers (0-1). Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EDT on BTN.
Thirty-two Former Nittany Lions on NFL Rosters
Penn State football represented on 20 NFL teams
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A total of 32 Penn State football alumni are populating the rosters of 20 National Football League teams as the 2019 season begins Thursday. A total of 27 Penn State players made 53-man rosters, while the Nittany Lions have three former players on practice squads and two Penn Staters currently on injured reserve with NFL teams. In addition, there is one Nittany Lion on an NFL roster who did not play football at Penn State in Chris Hogan (Carolina).
Additionally, center A.Q. Shipley and running back Saquon Barkley were selected as team captains for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants, respectively.
The Detroit Lions, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans boast a league-high three Penn Staters each, including 11th-year defensive end Cameron Wake.
Four teams – Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia and San Francisco – each have two PSU alums. Fifteen-year vet and San Francisco All-Pro placekicker Robbie Gould is Penn State’s elder statesman, while Pro Bowl linebacker Sean Lee returns for his 10th season with the Cowboys.
A total of seven players from Penn State’s 2018 Top 25 squad on NFL rosters. Ryan Bates (Buffalo Bills), Trace McSorley (Baltimore Ravens), Shareef Miller (Philadelphia Eagles), Amani Oruwariye (Detroit Lions), Miles Sanders (Philadelphia Eagles) and Nick Scott (Los Angeles Rams) are on active rosters, while Kevin Givens (San Francisco 49ers) will start the season on the practice squad.
Former Penn State men’s lacrosse player Chris Hogan also appeared in the most recent Super Bowl and has moved to the Carolina Panthers for his seventh season in the NFL.
Additionally, seven former Nittany Lions are members of NFL coaching staffs: Tom Bradley (Pittsburgh, defensive backs); Gary Brown (Dallas, running backs); Bobby Engram (Baltimore, tight ends); Al Golden (Detroit, linebackers); D’Anton Lynn (Houston, assistant secondary), Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Munchak (Denver, offensive line) and Paul Pasqualoni (Detroit, defensive coordinator).
The Nittany Lions’ remaining home schedule includes Buffalo (Sept. 7; 7:30 p.m.) and the 100th all-time meeting with Pittsburgh (Sept. 14; noon) in non-conference action. In Big Ten play, Penn State welcomes Purdue (Oct. 5; noon), Michigan (Oct. 19), Indiana (Nov. 15) and Rutgers (Nov. 30) to Happy Valley.
Single-game tickets are available for the 2019 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU. Fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Former Penn State players on 2019 NFL opening day rosters (pro season in parentheses):
Arizona Cardinals (1): A.Q. Shipley (8)C
Atlanta Falcons (1): Jack Crawford (8)
Baltimore Ravens (1): Trace McSorley (R)
Buffalo Bills (1): Ryan Bates (R)
Carolina Panthers: Chris Hogan (7; former MLAX player)
Chicago Bears (1): Allen Robinson II (6)
Dallas Cowboys (2): Sean Lee (10), Connor McGovern (R)IR
Denver Broncos (1): DaeSean Hamilton (2)
Detroit Lions (3): Jason Cabinda (2), Jesse James (5), Amani Oruwariye (R)
Green Bay Packers (1): Adrian Amos (5)
Kansas City Chiefs (1): Jordan Lucas (4)
Los Angeles Chargers (1): Trevor Williams (4)
Los Angeles Rams (1): Nick Scott (R)
Miami Dolphins (2): Mike Gesicki (2), Mike Hull (4)IR
New York Giants (3): Saquon Barkley (2)C, Grant Haley (2), Nate Stupar (7)
Philadelphia Eagles (2): Shareef Miller (R), Miles Sanders (R)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1): Marcus Allen (2)
San Francisco 49ers (2): Kevin Givens (R), Robbie Gould (15)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3): Chris Godwin (3), Carl Nassib (4), Donovan Smith (5)
Tennessee Titans (3): Austin Johnson (4), DaQuan Jones (6), Cameron Wake (11)
Washington Redskins (1): Troy Apke (2)
Nearly a 53-Man Roster of Ohio State Buckeyes in the NFL
52 former players are in the NFL on Week 1 of the 2019 season, including 44 active Buckeyes
COLUMBUS, Ohio – When the 100th season of NFL football kicks off this evening with a game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, former Ohio State center Corey Linsley will be on the field beginning his sixth season as a Packer. He’ll be the first of a large contingent of Buckeyes – 52 in all – who are in the league this season either on active rosters (44), on practice squads (three) or on an injured or physically unable to perform list (five).
“Developed Here” is a motto of the football program and it certainly is worthy with 12 Ohio State rookies in the league, including eight on active rosters: DE Nick Bosa (San Francisco), OG Michael Jordan (Cincinnati), DT Dre’Mont Jones (Denver), WR Parris Campbell (Indianapolis), OT Isaiah Prince (Miami), CB Kendall Sheffield (Atlanta) and QB Dwayne Haskins and WR Terry McLaurin (Washington).
That youth movement isn’t just with this year’s class of rookies: Ohio State boasts 24 NFL players with three years or less experience.
The veteran Buckeyes are led by a trio of outstanding leaders: Philadelphia safety Malcolm Jenkins, who is entering his 11th year in the NFL, Buffalo safety and 10-year NFL vet Kurt Coleman, and nine-year defensive lineman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cameron Heyward.
There are 27 NFL teams with an Ohio State Buckeye on a roster.
Buckeyes on 2019 NFL Rosters
By Team – 52
LB Dante Booker – Arizona Cardinals, practice squad
WR Johnnie Dixon – Arizona Cardinals, practice squad
DT Michael Bennett – Atlanta Falcons, IR
CB Kendall Sheffield – Atlanta Falcons, active
SAF Kurt Coleman – Buffalo Bills, active
WR Curtis Samuel – Carolina Panthers, active
DE Sam Hubbard – Cincinnati Bengals, active
OG Michael Jordan – Cincinnati Bengals, active
OC Billy Price – Cincinnati Bengals, active
CB Denzel Ward – Cleveland Browns, active
WR Noah Brown – Dallas Cowboys, PUP
RB Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys, active
WR Devin Smith – Dallas Cowboys, active
RB Mike Weber – Dallas Cowboys, practice squad
TE Jeff Heuerman – Denver Broncos, active
DT Dre’mont Jones – Denver Broncos, active
OT Taylor Decker – Detroit Lions, active
OC Corey Linsley – Green Bay Packers, active
RB Carlos Hyde – Houston Texans, active
CB Bradley Roby – Houston Texans, active
WR Parris Campbell – Indianapolis Colts, active
SAF Malik Hooker – Indianapolis Colts, active
DE Tyquan Lewis – Indianapolis Colts, active
OG Andrew Norwell – Jacksonville Jaguars, active
LB Darron Lee – Kansas City Chiefs, active
DE Joey Bosa – Los Angeles Chargers, active
LS Jake McQuaide – Los Angeles Rams, active
LB Jerome Baker – Miami Dolphins, active
LB Raekwon McMillan – Miami Dolphins, active
OT Isaiah Prince – Miami Dolphins, active
OG Pat Elflein – Minnesota Vikings, active
DT Jalyn Holmes – Minnesota Vikings, active
SAF Nate Ebner – New England Patriots, active
DE John Simon – New England Patriots, active
CB Eli Apple – New Orleans Saints, active
SAF Vonn Bell – New Orleans Saints, active
WR Ted Ginn Jr. – New Orleans Saints, active
CB Marshon Lattimore – New Orleans Saints, active
WR Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints, active
RB Rod Smith – New York Giants, IR
CB Gareon Conley – Oakland Raiders, active
DT Jonathan Hankins – Oakland Raiders, active
SAF Malcolm Jenkins – Philadelphia Eagles, active
P Cameron Johnston – Philadelphia Eagles, active
DE Cameron Heyward – Pittsburgh Steelers, active
LB Ryan Shazier – Pittsburgh Steelers, PUP
DE Nick Bosa – San Francisco 49ers, active
OT Jamarco Jones – Seattle Seahawks, active
OG Demetrius Knox – Seattle Seahawks, IR
TE Nick Vannett – Seattle Seahawks, active
QB Dwayne Haskins – Washington Redskins, active
WR Terry McLaurin – Washington Redskins, active
Buckeyes on 2019 NFL Rosters
Active Roster by Position – 44
Defensive Backs – 11
CB Eli Apple – New Orleans Saints
SAF Vonn Bell – New Orleans Saints
SAF Kurt Coleman – Buffalo Bills
CB Gareon Conley – Oakland Raiders
SAF Nate Ebner – New England Patriots
SAF Malik Hooker – Indianapolis Colts
SAF Malcolm Jenkins – Philadelphia Eagles
CB Marshon Lattimore – New Orleans Saints
CB Bradley Roby – Houston Texans
CB Kendall Sheffield – Atlanta Falcons
CB Denzel Ward – Cleveland Browns
Defensive Line – 9
DE Joey Bosa – Los Angeles Chargers
DE Nick Bosa – San Francisco 49ers
DE Cameron Heyward – Pittsburgh Steelers
DT Jalyn Holmes – Minnesota Vikings
DT Jonathan Hankins – Oakland Raiders
DE Sam Hubbard – Cincinnati Bengals
DT Dre’mont Jones – Denver Broncos
DE Tyquan Lewis – Indianapolis Colts
DE John Simon – New England Patriots
Offensive Line – 8
OT Taylor Decker – Detroit Lions
OG Pat Elflein – Minnesota Vikings
OT Jamarco Jones – Seattle Seahawks
OG Michael Jordan – Cincinnati Bengals
OC Corey Linsley – Green Bay Packers
OG Andrew Norwell – Jacksonville Jaguars
OC Billy Price – Cincinnati Bengals
OT Isaiah Prince – Miami Dolphins
Wide Receivers – 6
WR Parris Campbell – Indianapolis Colts
WR Ted Ginn Jr. – New Orleans Saints
WR Terry McLaurin – Washington Redskins
WR Curtis Samuel – Carolina Panthers
WR Devin Smith – Dallas Cowboys
WR Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints
Linebackers – 3
LB Jerome Baker – Miami Dolphins
LB Darron Lee – Kansas City Chiefs
LB Raekwon McMillan – Miami Dolphins
Running Backs – 2
RB Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys
RB Carlos Hyde – Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback – 1
QB Dwayne Haskins – Washington Redskins
Tight Ends – 2
TE Jeff Heuerman – Denver Broncos
TE Nick Vannett – Seattle Seahawks
Specialists – 2
P Cameron Johnston – Philadelphia Eagles
LS Jake McQuaide – Los Angeles Rams
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