Two suburban stars earn Big Ten football honors
A pair of former suburban high school football stars from Rolling Meadows and Naperville collected weekly honors from the Big Ten for their efforts over the weekend.
Wisconsin senior quarterback Scott Tolzien of Fremd High School earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors after he connected on 15 of 19 passes for 230 yards and 4 touchdowns to lead the Badgers to 70 points against Northwestern and clinch a share of the Big Ten Championship.
Indiana freshman kicker Mitch Ewald of Waubonsie Valley High School shared special team honors and freshman player of the week honors for connecting on a pair of field goals and four extra points to help Indiana reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket and post its first road win over Purdue since 1996.
Ewald hit a 26-yard field goal with nine seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. After the Hoosiers picked off a Boilermaker pass in the extra session, Ewald connected on a 31-yard field goal for the 34-31 triumph.
Tolzien did most of his damage in the first half, completing 14 of 18 throws for 190 yards and all 4 touchdowns to stake Wisconsin to a 49-17 halftime lead. He threw only one pass in the second half, a 40-yard completion. Tolzien connected on 78.9 percent of his passes on the day and his pass efficiency rating of 250.1 ranks fifth in Badger history. He has completed 74.3 percent of his throws on the season, breaking the Big Ten and school record of 67.8 percent set by Darrell Bevell in 1993.
Ewald recorded the first game-winning field goal for Indiana since Austin Starr connected on a 49-yarder to defeat Purdue in 2007. Ewald has connected on 16 of 19 field goals in his first season, the third-most field goals in a single season in school annals. He becomes the first Hoosier to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades.
On defense, the Big Ten POW is Wisconsin junior defensive end J.J. Watt of Pewaukee. Watt racked up seven tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack while helping force five of Northwestern's six turnovers as Wisconsin clinched a share of its first Big Ten title since 1999. The junior defensive end forced two fumbles, both of which were recovered by Wisconsin, and recorded three quarterback hurries, all of which resulted in interceptions for the Badgers. The Wisconsin native also blocked an extra point.
Sharing honors with Ewald is freshman kick returner Venric Mark of Northwestern, who set school records with nine kickoff returns for 273 yards, including a 94-yard touchdown sprint, at Wisconsin. The freshman wide receiver averaged 30.3 yards per return, including four returns that went for 25 or more yards. His 94-yard kickoff return touchdown was the eighth-longest in program annals.