10/24/2022

Following Week 8 contests, the Big Ten Conference Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams Players of the Week, and the Freshman of the Week were announced this morning. Below are this week’s honorees:

Offensive Player of the Week
Sean Clifford, Penn State
QB – Sr. – Cincinnati, Ohio – St. Xavier

• Completed 23-of-31 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns to become the career completions leader at Penn State, passing Trace McSorley (720; 2015-18) in the Nittany Lions’ 45-17 victory against Minnesota  
• On a 4-yard pass in the first quarter, Clifford became the second Nittany Lion to record 9,000 career passing yards
• Collected his 10th career game with 250+ passing yards and three or more passing touchdowns
• The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree earns his fourth career Offensive Player of the Week award and second of the season
• Last Penn State Offensive Player of the Week: Sean Clifford (Sept. 5, 2022)

Defensive Player of the Week
John Torchio, Wisconsin
S – Sr. – Lafayette, Calif. – Campolindo

• Picked off a pair of passes in Wisconsin’s win over Purdue, including a first-quarter interception that he returned for a touchdown
• The first Badger to record two interceptions and return one for a score in the same game since Natrell Jamerson did so against Northwestern in 2016
• Totaled a career-high 10 tackles, a team high in the win
• The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree earns the first Defensive Player of the Week accolade of his career
• Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week: Kamo’I Latu (Oct. 10, 2022)

Special Teams Player of the Week
Noah Ruggles, Ohio State
K – Gr. – Odessa, Fla. – Steinbrenner

• Kicked four field goals early against Iowa’s top-five defense to help Ohio State build a 26-10 lead on the way to a 54-10 victory
• Converted on four field goals (46, 41, 35, 26) and six PATs for a career-high 18-point day
• His four first-half field goals tie for the second most in a game in pro-gram history, matching eight other Buckeye placekickers
• Garners the second Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career
• Last Ohio State Special Teams Player of the Week: Noah Ruggles (Nov. 1, 2021)

Freshman of the Week
Roman Hemby, Maryland
RB – Edgewood, Md. – The John Carroll School

• Rushed for a career-high 179 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in Maryland’s win over Northwestern
• Scored the game-winning touchdown on a career-long 75-yard run with 3:33 remaining in the game to put the Terps ahead for good
• Forced 10 missed tackles on runs, the most by an Autonomy Five running back in the country this week
• Earns the second Freshman of the Week honor of his career
• Last Maryland Freshman of the Week: Jaishawn Barham (Oct. 10, 2022)

2022 Big Ten Football Players of the Week

Aug. 29
O: Chase Brown, RB, Jr., ILL
O: Ryan Hilinski, QB, Jr., NU
D: Cameron Mitchell, CB, Jr., NU
S: Luke Akers, P, Jr., NU

Sept. 5
O: Anthony Grant, RB, Jr., NEB
O: Sean Clifford, QB, Sr., PSU
D: Jacoby Windmon, DE/LB, Sr., MSU
S: Tory Taylor, P, Jr., IOWA
F: Roman Hemby, RB, MD

Sept. 12
O: Taulia Tagovailoa, QB, Jr., MD
O: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, So., OSU
D: Jacoby Windmon, DE/LB, Sr., MSU
S: Lukas Van Ness, DT, So., IOWA
F: Nicholas Singleton, RB, PSU

Sept. 19
O: C.J. Stroud, QB, So., OSU
D: Ji’Ayir Brown, S, Sr., PSU
S: Charles Campbell, PK, Jr., IND
F: Nicholas Singleton, RB, PSU

Sept. 26
O: Blake Corum, RB, Jr., MICH
O: Tanner Morgan, QB, Sr., MINN
D: Kaevon Merriweather, DB, Sr., IOWA
D: Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Sr., OSU
S: Tory Taylor, P, Jr., IOWA
F: Kaytron Allen, RB, PSU

Oct. 3
O: Miyan Williams, RB, Jr., OSU
D: Cam Allen, S, Sr., PUR
S: Barney Amor, P, Sr., PSU
F: Malcolm Hartzog, CB, NEB

Oct. 10
O: C.J. Stroud, QB, So., OSU
D: Kamo’I Latu, S, Jr., WIS
S: Fabrizio Pinton, K/P, Fr., ILL
F: Fabrizio Pinton, K/P, ILL
F: Jaishawn Barham, LB, MD

Oct. 17
O: Chase Brown, RB, Jr., ILL
O: Aidan O’Connell, QB, Sr., PUR
D: Jacoby Windmon, DE/LB, Sr., MSU
S: Jake Moody, K, Gr., MICH
F: Devin Mockobee, RB, PUR

Oct. 24
O: Sean Clifford, QB, Sr., PSU
D: John Torchio, S, Sr., WIS
S: Noah Ruggles, K, Gr., OSU
F: Roman Hemby, RB, MD

COURTESY BIG TEN COMMUNICATIONS