Following Big Ten football games on Sept. 21, the offensive, defensive and 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:

Offensive Co-Players of the Week

Kenny Guiton, Ohio State     

Sr., QB, Houston, Texas/Eisenhower

•           Threw six touchdowns, an Ohio State record and the second-most in Big Ten single-game history, in Ohio State’s victory over Florida A&M

•           Completed 24 of 34 passes for 215 yards while playing the first half only in his second career start

•           Connected with five different receivers on his six touchdown throws, including his second to Evan Spencer with 13 seconds left in the first half to set the program record

•           Records his second career weekly honor and second in as many weeks

•           Last Ohio State Offensive Player of the Week: Kenny Guiton (Sept. 16, 2013)

Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin

So., RB, Kenosha, Wis./Bradford

•           Finished with 147 yards and a career-best three touchdowns on just 16 carries, an average of 9.2 yards per carry, in Wisconsin’s victory over Purdue

•           Scored on a five-yard run in the first quarter, a 27-yard sprint in the third and a 15-yarder in the third

•           Rushed for 140 yards or more in his fourth straight contest and leads the nation with 624 yards and 156.0 yards per game

•           Records his first career weekly honor

•           Last Wisconsin Offensive Player of the Week: Montee Ball (Nov. 12, 2012)

Defensive Player of the Week

B.J. Lowery, Iowa

Sr., DB, Cincinnati, Ohio/Hughes

•           Set a school record by returning two interceptions for touchdowns and added four tackles in Iowa’s win over Western Michigan

•           With under a minute left in the second quarter, returned a pass 35 yards to the end zone, before returning his second pick 13 yards for a score with 12:22 to go in the third

•           Became the second Big Ten player to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game this season, following Northwestern’s Collin Ellis in Week 1

•           Claims his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor

•           Last Iowa Defensive Player of the Week: Tom Nardo (Sept. 26, 2011)

Special Teams Player of the Week

Kevonte Martin-Manley, Iowa

Jr., WR, Pontiac, Mich./Brother Rice

•           Became just the third player in Big Ten history to record two punt return touchdowns in a game in Iowa’s victory over Western Michigan

•           On consecutive attempts in the second quarter, returned a punt 83 yards for a score then a second 63 yards for a score

•           His 184 punt return yards are second most in a single game in Big Ten history, behind former Hawkeye Nile Kinnick’s 201 yards in 1939

•           Wins his first career Special Teams Player of the Week honor

•           Last Iowa Special Teams Player of the Week: Mike Meyer (Oct. 15, 2012)

Freshman of the Week

Mitch Leidner, Minnesota

QB, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South

•           In his first career start, combined for 222 yards of total offense and four rushing scores in Minnesota’s win over San Jose State

•           Rushed for 151 yards on 24 carries and tied the Minnesota record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single game

•           Wins his first career Freshman of the Week accolade

•           Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Philip Nelson (Oct. 29, 2012)

Three weeks into the season, half of the Big Ten’s defenses are under aerial attack.

Six of the conference’s teams are allowing 250 or more yards passing a game.

Nebraska gave up big yards in a 41-21 loss to UCLA. Coach Bo Pelini said his defense looked good at times. But they gave up big yardage in the decisive third quarter.

Illinois coach Tim Beckman says his team failed to pressure Washington quarterback Keith Price in a 34-24 loss. Price threw for 342 yards.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald’s team is giving up 319 yards a game. He says he hopes weak defenses don’t mean an offensive explosion is ahead in conference play.

Following Big Ten football games on Sept. 14, the offensive, defensive and 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:

Offensive Player of the Week

Kenny Guiton, Ohio State

Sr., QB, Houston, Texas/Eisenhower

• ·         Completed 21 of 32 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns, all career highs, to lead Ohio State to a road win at California in his first career start
• ·         Gave the Buckeyes a quick 21-0 lead in the first six minutes, throwing three touchdowns, including a 90-yarder to Devin Smith, the longest play from scrimmage in school history
• ·         Also finished with 14 carries for 92 yards, helping Ohio State to 608 yards of total offense, the most under Urban Meyer
• ·         Records his first career weekly honor
• ·         Last Ohio State Offensive Player of the Week: Carlos Hyde (Oct. 8, 2012)

Defensive Player of the Week

Ryan Shazier, Ohio State

Jr., LB, Plantation, Fla./Plantation

• ·         Led the Buckeye defense with 12 tackles, including 10 solo stops, in Ohio State’s road win against California
• ·         Was part of an Ohio State defense that held the California passing offense, which was ranked first in the nation entering the weekend, to 100 yards below its season average
• ·         Also forced a fumble and recorded a sack
• ·         Claims his third career Defensive Player of the Week honor
• ·         Last Ohio State Defensive Player of the Week: John Simon (Nov. 19, 2012)

Special Teams Player of the Week

Justin DuVernois, Illinois

Jr., P, Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas

• ·         Averaged 45.2 yards per punt, totaling 226 yards on five kicks with a long of 57, for the Illini against Washington
• ·         Had three of his punts land inside the 20-yard line, including one at the six-yard line, another at the nine-yard line and one at the 13-yard line
• ·         Wins his first career Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honor
• ·         Last Illinois Special Teams Player of the Week: Derek Dimke (Sept. 26, 2011)

Freshman of the Week

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

QB, Palmyra, Va./Fork Union Military Academy

• ·         Completed 21 of 28 passes, a 75 percent completion rate, for 262 yards and a touchdown against UCF
• ·         Brought Penn State to within a field goal with under three minutes to play, connecting with Allen Robinson on a five-yard touchdown pass
• ·         Ranks third in the Big Ten in passing yards per game (283.7) after throwing for more than 250 yards in each of his first three starts
• ·         Wins his second career weekly award
• ·         Last Penn State Freshman of the Week: Christian Hackenberg (Sept. 2, 2013)

This is one of those rare weeks when even Michigan hopes for an Ohio State victory.

Minnesota wouldn’t mind a win by Wisconsin, either.

There are four games this Saturday pitting Big Ten teams against top Pac-12 competition. This is the best opportunity until bowl season for the conferences to establish themselves as powers of the sport.

No. 4 Ohio State plays at California. No. 20 Wisconsin travels to Arizona State. No. 23 Nebraska hosts No. 16 UCLA. Illinois takes on 19th-ranked Washington in Chicago.

No. 17 Northwestern got the Big Ten off to a solid start by winning at California. Like Michigan coach Brady Hoke, whose Wolverines took down Notre Dame last week, Wildcats coach Fitzgerald says he’ll be rooting for the rest of the Big Ten this weekend.

Following Big Ten football games on Sept. 7, the offensive, defensive and 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:

Offensive Player of the Week

Jeremy Gallon, Michigan

Sr., WR, Apopka, Fla./Apopka

• ·         Finished with career highs in receiving yards (184) and touchdowns (three) as Michigan defeated Notre Dame on Saturday in front of an NCAA-record crowd of 115,109
• ·         Collected eight catches to accrue 184 yards, the sixth-most in program history and most since Roy Roundtree recorded 246 receiving yards in 2010
• ·         Became the first Wolverine with three touchdown grabs in a game since Mario Manningham in 2006
• ·         Scored on touchdown grabs of 61 yards in the first quarter, 12 yards in the second and 13 in the third
• ·         Records his first career weekly honor
• ·         Last Michigan Offensive Player of the Week: Devin Gardner (Nov. 19, 2012)

Defensive Player of the Week

Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State

So., DE, Middletown, N.J./Middletown North

• ·         Scored two defensive touchdowns, one on a fumble recovery and another on an interception return, in Michigan State’s 21-6 win over South Florida
• ·         Returned a fumble four yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and an interception 56 yards for another in the third, becoming the first Spartan defender with three touchdowns in the same season since T.J. Turner in 1999
• ·         Also finished with two tackles for loss and one sack as Michigan State allowed just 155 total yards
• ·         Claims his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor
• ·         Last Michigan State Defensive Player of the Week: Tyler Hoover (Oct. 25, 2010)

Special Teams Co-Players of the Week

Marcus Jones, Minnesota

Jr., PR/KR, Wake Forest, N.C./Wake Forest-Rolesville

• ·         Returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown in Minnesota’s 44-21 win on the road against New Mexico State on Saturday
• ·         The score marked his second return touchdown of the season, having returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score in the Gophers’ opener against UNLV
• ·         Wins his first career Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honor
• ·         Last Minnesota Special Teams Player of the Week: Jordan Wettstein (Oct. 31, 2011)

Akeem Hunt, Purdue

Jr., KR, Covington, Ga./Newton

• ·         Took the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and finished with 123 kickoff return yards for the day as Purdue defeated Indiana State, 20-14, on Saturday
• ·         Recorded his second career kickoff return touchdown after having returned his first 100 yards against Ohio State in 2012
• ·         Wins his first career Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honor
• ·         Last Purdue Special Teams Player of the Week: Cody Webster (Sept. 10, 2012)

Freshman of the Week

Corey Clement, Wisconsin

RB, Glassboro, N.J./Glassboro

• ·         Recorded his second straight 100-yard rushing effort of the season, finishing with 149 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, an 11.5 yards per carry average, in Wisconsin’s 48-0 victory over Tennessee Tech
• ·         Ran for fourth-quarter touchdowns from 1 yard and 75 yards out, boosting his yards per carry average to 8.6 this season
• ·         One of three Badger running backs to rush for 100 yards or more in two straight games
• ·         Wins his first career weekly award
• ·         Last Wisconsin Freshman of the Week: James White (Nov. 22, 2010)

If all goes according to plan, the possibility of an FCS wins over one of the big boys of college football won’t exist much longer in the Big Ten.

The College Football Playoff is coming next season, and strength of schedule is part of the criteria the selection committee will use to determine the four teams. Playing FCS opponents wouldn’t help the cause.

That’s only part of the reason Commissioner Jim Delany is encouraging Big Ten schools to keep FCS schools off non-conference schedules. He said recently that games against FCS foes don’t create enough excitement for players, fans and television networks.

Every Big Ten team except Michigan and Penn State is playing an FCS opponent this season. Three of those games are this week.

Offensive Player of the Week

Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois

Sr., QB, Kansas City, Mo./Rockhurst

·         Threw for a career-high 416 yards and two touchdowns in Illinois’ season-opening win over Southern Illinois

·         Completed 28 of 36 passes, a 77.8 percent clip, and climbed into fourth on Illinois’ career total offense list with 7,480 yards

·         Connected with Josh Ferguson for 53 yards and Jon Davis for 11 yards for two second-quarter touchdowns

·         Records his second career Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor, the first coming as a freshman on Nov. 1, 2010

·         Last Illinois Offensive Player of the Week: A.J. Jenkins (Oct. 3, 2011)

 

Defensive Player of the Week

Collin Ellis, Northwestern

Jr., LB, St. Gabriel, La./The Dunham School

·         Became the first player in school history to return two interceptions for touchdowns in Northwestern’s road win against California

·         Recorded his first interception in the third quarter, returning it 56 yards to give Northwestern the lead

·         Intercepted his second pass midway through the fourth quarter, scampering 40 yards to the end zone to increase the Wildcat lead to 10 points

·         Also finished with four tackles, including one for loss

·         Claims his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor

·         Last Northwestern Defensive Player of the Week: Chi Chi Ariguzo (Sept. 10, 2012)

 

Special Teams Player of the Week

Sam Ficken, Penn State

Jr., K, Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso

·         Was perfect in his kicking duties, converting all three field goals and both PAT attempts in Penn State’s 23-17 win over Syracuse

·         Was successful on kicks from 36, 35 and 46 yards, the latter of which was a career long in the fourth quarter

·         Has made 13 straight field-goal attempts dating back to the 2012 season

·         Wins his second career Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honor after being honored on Nov. 26, 2012

·         Last Penn State Special Teams Player of the Week: Sam Ficken (Nov. 26, 2012)

 

Freshman of the Week

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

QB, Palmyra, Va./Fork Union Military Academy

·         Threw for 278 yards on 22 completions and two touchdowns in his Penn State debut, guiding the Nittany Lions to a 23-17 win over Syracuse

·         The second true freshman quarterback to start a Penn State season opener since 1910, Hackenberg connected on two touchdown strikes of 50 or more yards in the second half

·         Teamed with Allen Robinson for a 51-yard score in the third quarter and Eugene Lewis on a 54-yard strike in the fourth

·         Wins his first career weekly award

·         Last Penn State Freshman of the Week: Kyle Carter (Oct. 22, 2012)

Park Ridge, Ill. – Big Ten schools can now show an unlimited number of replays on football stadium videoboards, as recently approved by conference administrators. The enhanced replay program occurred as part of a broader discussion by the Big Ten Football Gameday Experience Subcommittee in an effort to supplement the in-stadium experience.

Previously, institutions were able to show one replay at no less than 75% of real time speed. The enhanced policy gives an institution the discretion to show multiple replays at any speed, similar to what is done for television audiences.

“Our goal on game day is to blend the best parts of an in-stadium experience with the best parts of an at-home experience,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany.  “Enhanced replay is just one way to do that and we look forward to making it available to our fans this year.”

“This decision is another positive step forward as we strive to create remarkable experiences for our fans in these great stadiums where our teams play,” said Ohio State Director of Athletics Eugene Smith, the chair of the Big Ten Football Gameday Experience Subcommittee.

The subcommittee has encouraged each institution to explore the feasibility of adding full WiFi and Distributed Antenna System (DAS) coverage along with enhanced audio/video content (e.g., locker room video) that would be proprietary to stadium videoboards.  The group also encouraged institutions to provide increased coverage of other Big Ten and NCAA games and to explore the possibility of creating lounge-style environments for fans to watch those games or to connect through social media. The subcommittee will continue to explore other possibilities for improving the in-stadium experience and fan suggestions can be sent to Kerry Kenny ([email protected]), the Big Ten liaison to the subcommittee.

The 118th season of Big Ten football kicks off Thursday, August 29, and culminates with the third annual Big Ten Football Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 7. The championship game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and televised by FOX. The winner of the title game will earn the Big Ten Championship and a chance to play in either the Rose Bowl Game or Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.