*WATCH PLAYER OF THE WEEK HIGHLIGHT VIDEO*
The BIG EAST Conference has named Cincinnati wide receiver Armon Binns, West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy and Pittsburgh kicker/punter Dan Hutchins the winners of the league's weekly football honors for the week-ending Oct. 16.
Binns was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week after he had eight receptions for 175 yards – both career highs – with three touchdowns in Cincinnati’s 35-27, come-from-behind win against Louisville, extending the Bearcats’ BIG EAST winning streak to 13 games. His 31-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter brought Cincinnati within three points and his 62-yard score in the fourth quarter accounted for the winning margin.
Tandy, tabbed as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, had a team-high 10 tackles to go with one tackle for loss, a forced fumble and an interception to lead West Virginia to a 20-6 win against USF. Tandy’s interception was his fourth in the last three games, helping the Mountaineers limit the Bulls to 209 yards of offense and no touchdowns.
Hutchins was named BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week after he scored nine points and averaged 50.0 yards on five punts to help Pittsburgh to a 45-14 win at Syracuse in the Panthers’ BIG EAST opener. He had four punts of 50 or more yards and had two punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Hutchins leads the BIG EAST in both punting (47.1 avg.) and kicker scoring (8.2 ppg).
BIG EAST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Armon Binns • Sr. • WR • Cincinnati • Pasadena, Calif.
BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Keith Tandy • Jr. • CB • West Virginia • Hopkinsville, Ky.
BIG EAST SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dan Hutchins • Sr. • K/P • Pittsburgh • Williamsport, Pa.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville — Rushed for a career-high 209 yards with two touchdowns on 24 carries in a 35-27 loss to Cincinnati. Registered his second straight 200-yard game.
Tino Sunseri, QB, Pittsburgh — Completed 17 of 24 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-14 win at Syracuse.
Chas Dodd, QB, Rutgers — Completed 18 of 30 passes for 251 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 23-20 overtime win against Army.
Antonio Lowery, LB, Rutgers — Had a career-high 19 tackles – the most by a BIG EAST player in a game this season – with a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss in a 23-20 overtime win against Army.
Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia — Completed 24 of 31 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-6 win against USF.
