Donahue earns Big Ten weekly honors
IOWA CITY - University of Iowa punter Ryan Donahue has been named the Big Ten's Special Teams Player of the Week. The Hawkeye sophomore gained the honor following his performance in Iowa's 55-0 win at Minnesota last Saturday.
Donahue, a 6-3, 175-pounder, is a native of Evergreen Park, IL. He averaged 48.5 yards per punt and placed one inside the 20-yard line to help Iowa pick up the road victory. Donahue booted four kicks for 194 yards, including a long of 57 yards. He has recorded at least one 50-yard punt in eight of the last 10 games.
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The Hawkeyes also collected a fumble on one of his punts which led to a short touchdown drive and a 34-0 lead. It's the second time Donahue has won the award. He gained the honor following his performance against Michigan State last year at a freshman.
It's the seventh time an Iowa player has won the honor this year. Other winners included Andy Brodell, Karl Klug, Shonn Greene (twice), Pat Angerer and Tyler Sash.
The Hawkeyes finished the regular season with an 8-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in conference play.
From the Big Ten Conference:
SPECIAL TEAMS:
SO, P, Evergreen Park, Ill./St. Rita
Donahue averaged 48.5 yards per punt and placed one inside the 20-yard line to help Iowa pick up a road victory at Minnesota. The sophomore punter booted four kicks for 194 yards, including a long of 57 yards. The Hawkeyes also collected a fumble on one of his punts which led to a short touchdown drive and a 34-0 lead. He has recorded at least one punt over 50 yards in eight of his last 10 games. Donahue picks up his second weekly laurel in as many seasons after being honored as a freshman on Oct. 29, 2007.
LAST IOWA SPECIAL TEAMS POW: PR Andy Brodell on Sept. 15, 2008.
CO-OFFENSE:
Daryll Clark, Penn State
JR, QB, Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline
Clark accounted for a career-high five touchdowns and 341 passing yards to lead Penn State to a win over Michigan State and a share of the Big Ten title. The junior quarterback completed 16-of-26 passes (61.5 percent) with a career-best four touchdowns and added a one-yard rushing score against the Spartans. Clark averaged 21.3 yards per completion, connecting on throws of 70, 49, 37, 33 and 32 yards. The Ohio native opened the scoring with a five-yard toss in the first quarter and his one-yard touchdown run and 32-yard scoring strike in the second quarter pushed the hosts ahead 28-0. He added touchdown passes of four and 70 yards in the third quarter before sitting out the final stanza. Clark's 341-yard passing performance marked the most yards through the air for a PSU player since 2003 when Michael Robinson compiled 379 yards against Wisconsin. Clark picks up his second weekly accolade this season and for his career after being honored on Oct. 13.
LAST PSU OFFENSIVE POW: QB Daryll Clark on Oct. 13, 2008.
Curtis Painter, Purdue
SR, QB, Vincennes, Ind./Lincoln
In his final college football game, Painter set a season high with 448 passing yards and connected on five scoring strikes to lead Purdue to 62 points and give head coach Joe Tiller a victory in his last game on the sidelines. The senior quarterback equaled a career high with 38 completions on 54 attempts, connecting on 70.4 percent of his passes, and added an 18-yard reception to help the Boilermakers reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket. Painter tossed touchdowns to five different players in the game, including three scores in the first quarter as Purdue sprinted to a 24-0 lead. He added two more touchdown passes in the second half, the last of which made the final score 62-10, the largest margin of victory against Indiana since 1893 and tied for the biggest deficit in Ross-Ade Stadium history. Painter earns the fourth offensive player of the week award of his career after being honored on Sept. 10, 2007, and Oct. 16 and Nov. 27, 2006.
LAST PUR OFFENSIVE POW: QB Justin Siller on Nov. 3, 2008.
DEFENSE:
Kevin Mims, Northwestern
SR, DE, The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands
Mims equaled a season high with seven tackles, including 2.5 sacks, and forced a fumble to help hold Illinois' high-powered offense to a season-low 10 points and boost Northwestern to its ninth victory of the season. The Illini entered the game averaging a conference-best 440.3 yards of total offense per game but were held 113 yards below their season average by the Wildcats defense. Mims' 2.5 sacks pushed the visitors back 14 yards as NU recorded five quarterback drops on the day. The senior defensive tackle added a key forced fumble in the fourth quarter as Illinois drove to midfield looking to cut into a 24-10 deficit. With less than eight minutes remaining, Mims broke through for the sack and knocked the ball loose to set up a short drive which led to a field goal and the final score of 27-10. Mims collects the first weekly accolade of his career.
LAST NU DEFENSIVE POW: S Brendan Smith on Nov. 3, 2008.