Purdue Football's Aidan O'Connell, Devin Mockobee Earn Weekly Big Ten Honors
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After a 43-37 win over Nebraska on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium, Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell was named Co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and running back Devin Mockobee earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
Illinois running back Chase Brown was also recognized as the Co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 180 yards in a win over Minnesota.
Week 7 B1G 🏈 Players of the Week:
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 17, 2022
O: Chase Brown & Aidan O’Connell
D: @JW1NDMON
ST: Jake Moody
F: Devin Mockobee pic.twitter.com/vJ6T5UCdjy
The Boilermakers accounted for 608 yards of total offense against the Cornhuskers. O'Connell led the way with 391 yards through the air, including four touchdowns and one interception. He has recorded 12 different 300-yard passing games during his college career.
"It was a very good game by him, without question," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said of O'Connell during his weekly press conference on Monday. "At the end of last year, he had some elite games — put up some gigantic numbers. But I definitely thought he played very, very well. Executed the offense, threw accurate throws and had great anticipation."
O'Connell leads the Big Ten in passing through the first seven games of the 2022 season, averaging 325 yards per game to also rank eighth in the nation. He has completed 178 of his 269 passing attempts for 1,950 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Mockobee, who registered 30 carries and 178 yards on the ground, set a single-game school record for rushing yards by a freshman. The Boonville, Ind., native accounted for all 39 yards of Purdue's final drive of the first half, which ended in a 1-yard touchdown plunge.
The walk-on running back leads the Boilermakers with 453 yards rushing on 80 carries and has reached the end zone five times. Mockobee has also made contributions in the passing game with 13 receptions for 130 yards on the year.
"Really, he wanted to be here. He's a competitor," Brohm said. "He felt he could come in here and compete and do a good job in a very humble and modest way, so we were excited about it, and we got him here.
"We liked what we saw, but still didn't know for sure that he would be capable of this. I just think he has proven to everybody how good of a running back he can be, especially that he continues to work and get better and bigger and stronger."
Purdue is back in action this upcoming Saturday in a road matchup against Wisconsin. The game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc.
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- What Went Right, What Went Wrong in Win Over Nebraska: Purdue accounted for 608 yards of total offense against Nebraska in Week 7 to earn its fourth straight win. Several players contributed to a dominant offensive showing, and the defense made enough plays to hold off the Cornhuskers in the second half. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Just Outside Top 25 in Latest Rankings: Purdue defeated Nebraska 43-37 at home Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd inside Ross-Ade Stadium. The Boilermakers landed just outside the top 25 after winning their fourth straight game. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Football Outlasts Nebraska in 43-37 Firefight: Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell threw for 391 yards and four touchdowns in a shootout with Nebraska's Casey Thompson. Wide receivers Charlie Jones and TJ Sheffield each caught a pair of scores while running back Devin Mockobee ran for 178 yards. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Defensive Line Continues to Show Consistency: Purdue notched four sacks in its 43-37 win over Nebraska on Saturday, all of which came in the first half. The Boilermakers have 10 different players with at least 0.5 sacks through the first seven games of the 2022 season. CLICK HERE
D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.