Big Ten Football: Conference Names Week 1 Players of the Week

Miller Moss (USC), Kevin Winston (Penn State), Mateen Bhaghani (UCLA), Dominic Zvada (Michigan) and Dylan Raiola (Nebraska) received Big Ten honors for Week 1.
Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) warms up
Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) warms up / dylan widger-usa today sports

The Big Ten has named the recipients of the Week 1 Players of the Week. The conference revealed the winners on Monday.

With all 18 teams in action, there was a lot of competition for the Week 1 awards. Here's the rundown of the winners.

Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week

Miller Moss, Quarterback, USC

  • Stats: 27-of-36, 378 yards, 1 touchdown
  • Notes: Moss had an excellent showing in his second career start for the Trojans. He played well throughout the game, but orchestrated two late-game drives that helped USC secure a 27-20 victory over LSU. With 5:44 remaining, hit het Ja'Kobi Lane on a 28-yard touchdown pass to give his team a 20-17 advantage. Then, after LSU tied the game at 20-20, he put together an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to lift the Trojans to a victory.

Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week

Kevin Winston Jr., Safety, Penn State

  • Stats: 12 tackles, 7 solo, 1 forced fumble
  • Notes: Winston was all over the field for the Nittany Lions on Saturday, racking up 12 tackles, including seven solo stops, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. It was the third time the safety has notched a double-digit tackle performance in his career. His efforts helped Penn State demolish West Virginia 34-12.

Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week

Mateen Bhaghani, Kicker, UCLA

  • Stats: 3-for-3 field goal attempts
  • Notes: With UCLA's offense struggling against Hawaii, Bhaghani's efforts were critical in the kicking game. He converted on all three of his field goal attempts from 22, 33 and 37 yards out. Bhaghani drilled a 32-yard kick with less than a minute to play to propel the Bruins to a 16-13 victory over the Warriors.

Dominic Zvada, Kicker, Michigan

  • Stats: 3-for-3 field goal attempts, 3-for-3 PATs
  • Notes: Zvada accounted for 12 of Michigan's points in a 30-10 victory over Fresno State to open the 2024 campaign on Saturday. He was perfect on all of his field goal and extra point attempts, which was instrumental in getting a win. Zvada made kicks from 45, 53 and 55 yards out, a really impressive showing for the Wolverines kicker.

Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Dylan Raiola, Quarterback, Nebraska

  • Stats: 19-of-27, 238 yards, 2 touchdowns
  • Notes: Raiola looked (mostly) like a five-star quarterback in his debut at Nebraska on Saturday. Although he made some freshman mistakes, he still managed to get through the game without a turnover and racked up 238 yards through the air, leading the Huskers to a 40-7 win. Raiola's touchdown passes both came in the second quarter — a 59-yard strike to Isaiah Neyor and a 21-yard pass to Jahmal Banks.

Related Big Ten stories

MICHIGAN'S OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY: Michigan's offensive line struggled mightily in the season opener against Fresno State. Coach Sherrone Moore is confident it will look better vs. Texas. CLICK HERE

BIG TEN WEEK 1 OVERREACTIONS: Nick Saban swears on live television, Mike Gundy takes a shot at Michigan, "Huddy" for Heisman and Minnesota's fireworks show highlight the overreactions. CLICK HERE

BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS: USC picked up the biggest win of the weekend, defeating LSU. Penn State clobbered West Virginia. What do the power rankings looks like after Week 1? CLICK HERE


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Dustin Schutte

DUSTIN SCHUTTE