Purdue Sweeps Big 10 Weekly Honors
WEST LAFAYETTE – The Purdue football team served notice Saturday with a 49-20 throttling of second-ranked Ohio State at Ross-Ade Stadium.
The Big Ten took notice, as the Boilermakers swept the conference weekly awards.
Senior quarterback David Blough was named Offensive Player of the Week, junior linebacker Markus Bailey Defensive Player of the Week, senior punter Joe Schopper Special Teams Player of the Week and wide receiver Rondale Moore Freshman of the Week. Additionally, running back DJ Knox was named the National Player of the Week and head coach Jeff Brohm was named the National Coach of the Week.
Its marks the first time a school has earned all four honors since the Big Ten began awarding Freshman of the Week in 2010 and also the first time a school has swept the Big 10 awards as a whole in Big 10 history.
“The fact that we have award winners from this past game is a testament to pulling off a great upset against a great opponent in a great environment with a lot of things on the side thrown in there, as well, that made the game more meaningful,” Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm said. “That’s a credit to our players. I’m happy for them. They have gone through a lot to get to this point and to just pull off a victory like that, in my opinion, they deserve it, but I’m very proud of them.”
Blough completed 25 of 43 passes for 378 yards with three touchdowns.
Bailey, a native of Columbus, Ohio, recorded a career-high 15 tackles (eight solo, seven assists) and returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown.
Schopper averaged 43.3 yards on six punts, with two coming to rest inside the Ohio State 20-yard line, and had a key four-yard rush on a fake field goal to set up a touchdown late in the first half.
Moore had career highs of 12 receptions, 170 receiving yards and two touchdowns while amassing 252 yards of total offense. HeĀ also was honored as the Rose Bowl Game Big Ten Player of the Week.
Knox was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win over the Buckeyes. Knox rushed for 128 yards on just 16 carries (a snappy 8.0-yard average) and a career-high three touchdowns. He scored on runs of 1, 42 and 40 yards, the latter two coming in the fourth quarter.
For the season, Knox paces Purdue with 668 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He is averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
Knox is the fifth Boilermaker to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors since 2004 and the first since defensive tackle Kawann Short on Nov. 13, 2011.
Brohm was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Brohm led the Boilermakers to their fourth straight win Saturday. Purdue led from start to finish while amassing 539 yards of total offense and limiting the Buckeyes to 26.2 points below their season average.
Leading 7-3 late in the second quarter, the Boilermakers adroitly executed a fake field goal, picking up a first down and scoring a touchdown on the ensuing play. Purdue put the game away with 28 fourth-quarter points.
“It was a great win for our program,” Brohm said, who also was out front in helping Purdue student, Tyler Trent, be part of the occasion. Trent is battling osteosarcoma and was named the game’s honorary captain, watching the game from the suites. “Our team is excited about it, and we are proud of the fact we were able to pull off that win. It was a great moment. It was awesome to soak it in. It was awesome for our players to soak in, and it was a great scene.”
The Boilermakers (4-3, 3-1 Big Ten) have been recognized by the conference eight times already this season, equaling the most in school history (also 2000 and 2001). Moore has been so honored three times, Blough and Schopper twice.
Purdue earned Offense, Defense and Special Teams awards Sept. 30, 2001 (quarterback Brandon Hance, safety Stuart Schweigert and kicker-punter Travis Dorsch), and Nov. 27, 2006 (quarterback Curtis Painter, defensive end Cliff Avril and punter Jared Armstrong).
Meanwhile, Purdue received votes in both the Associated Press (17 – No. 36) and coaches (7 – No. 40) national polls.