Big Ten Football: Conference Names Week 3 Players of the Week
The options were aplenty, but the Big Ten has finally settled on naming the Players of the Week for the third weekend of the college football season.
Here are the award winners following Week 3 action in the Big Ten.
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week
Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana
- Stats: 25-of-33, 307 yards, 4 touchdowns
- Notes: Rourke had a special performance from start to finish on Saturday, as he led Indiana to a 42-13 victory over UCLA in the Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers put together a number of strong drives in the game, but Rourke's best might've been on back-to-back touchdown drives in the second half. He engineered a nine-play, 87-yard drive, capped by a touchdown pass to Ke'Shawn Williams to give IU a 28-10 lead. Then, on Indiana's next possession, Rourke had a 23-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive to ice the game.
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
Dante Trader Jr., DB, Maryland
- Stats: 11 tackles, 5 solo, 1 interception
- Notes: Maryland had to rely on its defense a lot in Saturday's road win over Virginia. Trader came up big for the Terrapins, racking up 11 tackles, including five solo stops and an interception. Trader played a key role on a Maryland defense that forced four turnovers in the game, resulting in a 27-13 victory over the Cavaliers.
Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week
Atticus Sappington, K, Oregon
- Stats: 2-for-2 field goal attempts, 5-for-5 PATs
- Notes: Oregon didn't necessarily need Sappington's production in a 49-14 win over in-state rival Oregon State, but his contributions still proved to be helpful. Sappington converted on both field goal tries, including a long of 39 yards. He was also perfect on extra point attempts, ending the game with 11 points. He drilled a 25-yard kick early in the third quarter, giving the Ducks a 25-14 advantage over the Beavers before Oregon completely took over.
Big Ten Freshman of the Week
Kerry Brown, DB, Minnesota
- Stats: 4 tackles, 2 interceptions
- Notes: Brown made some big plays for a Minnesota defense that pitched a shutout for a second consecutive week. The freshman recorded the first of his two interceptions late in the first quarter, giving Minnesota great field position and setting up a field goal. His second interception came in the second quarter, giving the Gophers the ball at Nevada's 16-yard line and resulting in a touchdown. Minnesota defeated Nevada 27-0.
Related Big Ten stories
BIG TEN WEEK 3 OVERREACTIONS: The Gophers were awfully golden, a Nebraska analyst learns his lesson, the worst roughing the passer call ever and more from the Big Ten in Week 3. CLICK HERE
BIG TEN SPREADS FOR WEEK 4: The spreads have been released for Week 4 of the college football season. Here's a look at every spread in the Big Ten. CLICK HERE
BIG TEN WEEK 4 POWER RANKINGS: Is Indiana the real deal? After a blowout win over UCLA and a 3-0 start to the season, Curt Cignetti has a lot of people believing in the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE
