WATCH AWARD VIDEO FOR WEEK 1
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The BIG EAST Conference has named Pittsburgh running back Ray Graham, USF safety Jerrell Young and West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin the winners of the conference's weekly football awards for Week 1 of the 2011 season.
Graham was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week after he rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries to key Pittsburgh to a 35-16 win against Buffalo in the Panthers’ season-opener. Graham’s rushing total — the second 200-yard game of his career — was the second-best by a Bowl Subdivision player in Week 1 and the best against a Bowl Subdivision opponent (Oregon State’s Malcolm Agnew rushed for 223 yards in a loss to Sacramento State).
Young, who was tabbed as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, had a hand in two of USF’s five takeaways as the Bulls scored a 23-20 win at No. 16 Notre Dame. He contributed to a potential 14-point swing in the first half by stripping the ball from an Irish runner at the USF 4-yard line — a fumble that was recovered by the Bulls for a 96-yard touchdown. He added a fourth-quarter interception that denied Notre Dame’s comeback bid.
Austin was named BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week after he broke open West Virginia’s 34-13 win against Marshall with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that gave the Mountaineers a 27-13 lead late in the third quarter. Austin finished with 190 all-purpose yards against the Thundering Herd with 119 yards on two kickoff returns and 46 yards on three punt returns.
BIG EAST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ray Graham • Jr. • RB • Pittsburgh • Elizabeth, N.J.
BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jerrell Young • Sr. • S • USF • St. Petersburg, Fla.
BIG EAST SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tavon Austin • Jr. • WR • West Virginia • Baltimore, Md
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Lyle McCombs • RFr. • RB • Connecticut • Staten Island, N.Y.
Rushed for 141 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries in his collegiate debut in a 35-3 win against Fordham.
Chas Alecxih • Sr. • DT • Pittsburgh • Lancaster, Pa.
Had six tackles, two tackles for loss and a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 31-16 win against Buffalo.
Maikon Bonani • Jr. • K • USF • Lake Wales, Fla.
Scored 11 points, including field goals of 49, 17 and 36 yards, in a 23-20 win at No. 16/18 Notre Dame.
Ryan Nassib • Jr. • QB • Syracuse • West Chester, Pa.
Completed 20 of 28 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-29 overtime win against Wake Forest.
Geno Smith • Jr. • QB • West Virginia • Miami, Fla.
Completed 26 of 35 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-13 win against Marshall.
