[From an Ohio State press release.]
Mike Weber Named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Weber led a 335-yard ground attack against Michigan State with 162 yards and two touchdowns
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State sophomore running back Mike Weber is the Big Ten Conference’s co-offensive player of the week for his efforts in Ohio State’s 48-3 victory over No. 12 Michigan State Saturday in Ohio Stadium.
Weber, from Detroit and Cass Tech, set a personal best with 162 yards rushing on only nine carries – an 18.0 yards per carry average – and scored two touchdowns to help spark Ohio State to the win.
Weber opened the scoring with a 47-yard touchdown rush on Ohio State’s first possession and then put the game away with an 82-yard touchdown dash midway through the second quarter to put the Buckeyes up, 35-0.
Behind Weber and freshman running back J.K. Dobbins (124 yards), Ohio State stunned the nation’s No. 3 ranked rushing defense for 335 yards rushing on the afternoon, four touchdowns and an 8.0 yards per carry average.
Ohio State, ranked No. 8 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ polls, hosts Illinois in the 2017 home finale at Ohio Stadium Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ABC will televise.
Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Demry Croft, Minnesota
So., QB, Rockford, Ill./Boylan
- Set a single-game school record for quarterbacks by rushng for 183 yards and three touchdowns in Minnesota’s victory over Nebraska
- Averaged 18.3 yards per carry in the contest
- Threw for 105 yards while completing nine of 15 attempts
- Receives his first career Offensive Player of the Week award
- Last Minnesota Offensive Player of the Week: Rodney Smith (Oct. 24, 2016)
Mike Weber, Ohio State
So., RB, Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech
- Set a personal best with 162 yards rushing on only nine carries and scored two touchdowns to lead Ohio State over Michigan State
- Opened the scoring with a 47-yard touchdown rush on Ohio State’s first possession and then put the game away with an 82-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter
- Finished the contest averaging 18.0 yards per carry
- Earns his first career Offensive Player of the Week award
- Last Ohio State Offensive Player of the Week: J.T. Barrett (Oct. 30, 2017)
Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Josh Jackson, Iowa
Jr., DB, Corinth, Texas/Lake Dallas
- Returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns and forced a fumble at Wisconsin
- Recorded a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the first quarer for his first career pick-six, then added a 52-yard touchdown return in the third quarter to become the first Hawkeye with a pair of pick-sixes in a Big Ten contest
- Added three tackles and a pass break-up in the contest
- Collects his second career Defensive Player of the Week honor and second in as many weeks, becoming the first Hawkeye to ever garner conference defensive player of the week honors in consecutive weeks
- Last Iowa Defensive Player of the Week: Josh Jackson (Nov. 4, 2017)
Leon Jacobs, Wisconsin
Sr., LB, San Pedro, Calif./Golden Valley
- Recovered a pair of fumbles and scored the first touchdown of his career on a 21-yard fumble recovery in the third quarter of Wisconsin’s victory over Iowa
- Added four tackles and a sack in the contest, which marked his school-record 55th career game
- Anchored a Wisconsin defense that surrendered just 66 total yards to Iowa, the fewest yards ever allowed against a Big Ten opponent in program history
- Earns his second career Defensive Player of the Week honor and second of the season
- Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week: Leon Jacobs (Oct. 16, 2017)
Special Teams Player of the Week
Rodney Smith, Minnesota
Jr., RB, Atlanta, Ga./Pickens
- Returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Nebraska to become the first Gopher to return the opening kick for a score since Tyrone Carter went 86 yards against Arkansas State in 1998
- Finished the contest with 135 kickoff return yards on three attempts
- Added 134 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards to record a career-high 279 all-purpose yards, tying for seventh-most in school history
- Receives his first career Special Teams Player of the Week award
- Last Minnesota Special Teams Player of the Week: Emmit Carpenter (Nov. 7, 2016)
Freshman of the Week
Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Fr., RB, Salem, N.J./Salem
- Carried the ball 29 times for 157 yards in Wisconsin’s win over Iowa, marking his fifth game with at least 150 yards this season
- Has now broken the 100-yard rushing barrier seven times this season
- With 1,525 rushing yards this season, he became the 10th running back in school history to surpass 1,500 yards in a season
- Claims his sixth career Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, tying him for the second-most in conference history alongside Illinois’ Nathan Scheelhaase (2010) and trailing only Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett (seven honors in 2014)
- Last Wisconsin Freshman of the Week: Jonathan Taylor (Nov. 4, 2017)