After one week away from the weekly Big Ten awards, Ohio State has returned in full force, reclaiming its rightful spot atop the Freshman of the Week line and earning a second nod for a co-Offensive Player of the Week.
To start with the latter, considered a bit more difficult to pull off, junior wide receiver Garrett Wilson earned the first co-Offensive Player of the Week nod in his career and the first for the Buckeyes since Oct. 11 when C.J. Stroud won it, thanks to his 10-reception, 126-yard, three-touchdown receiving performance with another 51 yards and a score on the ground against Purdue. The Texas native played a critical role in Ohio State’s 59-31 drubbing of Purdue. He shares the honor this week with Wisconsin halfback Braelen Allen, who rushed 25 times for 173 yards and three scores in a 35-7 win over Northwestern.
The former went, as usual, to Stroud. His sixth such win of the season, the quarterback is essentially a lock for the Big Ten Freshman of the Year at this point, unlocking another award victory after he completed 31 of his 38 passes on Saturday for 361 yards and five touchdowns.
Elsewhere on the list, Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson earned the Defensive Player of the Week title after racking up seven tackles, 3.5 TFL and a career-high three sacks in Michigan’s 21-17 win over Penn State.
On the other side of that same game, Penn State kicker and punter Jordan Stout was named the Specialist of the Week, thanks to three field goals, a perfect four-for-four on punts landing inside the 20 yard-line (with a 51.0-yard average) and even an 18-yard pass on a fake punt. It’s his second time on the SOTW line this season.
