Adam Weber, Garrett Brown Honored by Big Ten

University of Minnesota football players Adam Weber and Garrett Brown were honored with Big Ten weekly awards Sunday night. Weber was named the Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week, while Brown shared the league’s Defensive Player of the Week award with Wisconsin’s Chris Borland.

Weber became Minnesota’s career-passing yardage record-holder in the contest vs. Michigan State. He was also the first Minnesota quarterback to surpass 400 passing yards in more than a decade, throwing for a career-best 416 yards and matching a career high with five touchdown passes in a victory over Michigan State.

Despite playing without injured All-Big Ten wideout Eric Decker, Weber completed 19 of 31 passes (61.3 percent) to make him the Gophers’ first 400-yard passer since Cory Sauter compiled 404 yards against the Spartans in 1995. Weber’s five scoring strikes equaled his career best set in a double-overtime game at Northwestern in 2007. The junior quarterback connected on a 62-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first offensive play before tossing a 37-yard scoring strike on his third pass to give the hosts an early 14-0 advantage. He added a third touchdown pass to put Minnesota up 21-10 at the half.

After the Spartans’ claimed the lead, 31-28, at the end of the third quarter, Weber opened the final stanza by driving the Gophers 73 yards on six plays, capped by his fourth touchdown pass to put the hosts back ahead, 35-31. The Spartans responded with a field goal before Weber tossed his fifth touchdown. On third-and-17, the Minnesota native connected with his tight end who hit the ground, popping the ball into the air before Duane Bennett grabbed it in midair and sprinted for a score and a 42-34 lead.

Weber earns his third career weekly accolade and has been honored in each of his first three seasons, including Sept. 10, 2007 and Sept. 8, 2008. Weber’s award last season was the last time a Gopher won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award.

Brown set career highs with seven defensive stops and three tackles for loss, while also forcing and recovering a fumble to help Minnesota knock off Michigan State.

The senior defensive tackle pushed the Spartans’ offense back six yards with his three tackles for loss, and six of his seven defensive stops were solo tackles. Brown led a Gophers defense that held MSU to 124 rushing yards, 84 of which came on a reverse in the second half.

The Connecticut native collects his first career weekly accolade and the third for a Minnesota defender this season after teammates Lee Campbell (Sept. 6) and Nate Triplett (Sept. 13) were honored earlier this year.

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