DreMont Jones – Noteworthy
SEPT 17 BIG TEN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dre’Mont Jones, Ohio State, Jr., DT, Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius…Registered a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter to put Ohio State ahead of TCU for good, 26-21…Set a career high with six tackles, including four solo stops…Added 1.0 sack, 2.0 tackles for loss and a pass breakup…Claims his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor…Last Ohio State Defensive Player of the Week: Sam Hubbard (Nov. 27, 2017). – Big Ten football
Dwayne Haskins – Noteworthy
SEPT 24 BIG TEN CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State, So., QB, Potomac, Md./Bullis School…Completed 21 of 24 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns in one half of action against Tulane…Recorded at least 300 passing yards for the third time in four starts this season…Ranks second nationally this season with 16 touchdown passes and a completion percentage of 75.7 percent…Earns his second career Offensive Player of the Week award…Last Ohio State Offensive Player of the Week: Dwayne Haskins (Sept. 3, 2018). – Big Ten football
Dwayne Haskins – Noteworthy
Dwayne Haskins Jr. got a phone call from coach Urban Meyer on Saturday night, hours after the quarterback bullied Tulane in a performance that turned up the volume of talk about his potential Heisman Trophy candidacy. Meyer wanted to make sure Haskins was keeping his feet on the ground as the hype around him intensifies. “I called him driving home with that message, just stay focused,” Meyer said Monday. “We’ve had some pretty high-profile guys around here, and I’ve seen it go both ways. One thing about Columbus, Ohio, is this is the show, and they become bigger than life. But he’s a really humble guy, he’s a very conscientious guy, comes from a great family. So he’s been great so far.”
The spotlight on the third-year junior will only get brighter if he can go into a hostile “white out” at Beaver Stadium and lead No. 4 Ohio State past No. 9 Penn State in a nationally televised game Saturday night. His eye-popping passing numbers are even better than they seem, considering he didn’t play for big chunks of the second half after Ohio State was comfortably ahead in three of its four wins this year. On Saturday, he threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns in the first half before taking a seat. Haskins is second among Division I quarterbacks in touchdowns (16) and completion percentage (75.7), third in quarterback rating (207) and is in the top 10 in passing yards and yards per attempt. He has been sacked only three times and picked off just once. The only player who has more touchdown passes is Hawaii’s Cole McDonald with 20, but he has played in one more game. – AP College Football
Dwayne Haskins – Noteworthy
QB Dwayne Haskins once again displayed amazing accuracy in another impressive performance against Tulane that earned him Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. The sophomore played the first half only and completed 21-of-24 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns in the 49-6 victory. After four games, Haskins has completed 75.7 percent of his throws for 16 touchdowns and one interception. His quarterback rating is 207.0. It may sound like hyperbole, but Haskins is already being mentioned as potentially the greatest passer in Ohio State history as well as an early Heisman Trophy candidate.
J.K. Dobbins – Noteworthy
RB J.K Dobbins may be counted on more heavily in Ohio State’s showdown on Saturday at Penn State, especially if fellow RB Mike Weber is slowed by a foot injury he sustained during the second quarter of last week’s win over Tulane. Dobbins carried only 11 times for 55 yards and one touchdown against Tulane before sitting out the second half, but he is the Buckeyes’ leading rusher through four games with 323 yards on 56 carries (5.8-yard average).
Nick Bosa – Noteworthy – Injury
DE Nick Bosa, who underwest core muscle surgery last week, is expcted to to return this season but coach Urban Mayer offered no other specifics. The junior All-American was injured two weeks ago in the game against TCU. He had collected four sacks and six tackles for loss at the time of the injury. It seems unlikely Bosa would return before November.
Tate Martell – Noteworthy
SEPT 10 BIG TEN CO-FRESHMEN OF THE WEEK: Tate Martell, Ohio State, Fr., QB, Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman…Went 10-for-10 passing to break the school record for best single-game completion percentage, surpassing Bill Mrukowski’s 10-of-11 game against UCLA in 1961…Notched his first career touchdown pass with a 51-yard pass to Terry McLaurin…Added 95 rushing yards on eight carries, including a 47-yard touchdown run…Records his first Freshman of the Week award…Last Ohio State Freshman of the Week: J.K. Dobbins (Sept. 18, 2017). – Big Ten football