For Second Straight Week, Sudfeld is B1G's Player of the Week
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Written by IU Athletics
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For the second straight week and the second time in his career, Indiana senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors, the league announced Monday. He shared the recognition with Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Four IU standouts (6 times) have notched league awards in 2015. Junior running back Jordan Howard was named co-Offensive Player of the Week following the Wake Forest game, true freshman safety Jonathan Crawford was named co-Freshman of the Week following the Western Kentucky game, and redshirt sophomore kicker Griffin Oakes snared Special Teams Player of the Week following the Michigan and Maryland (co-POW) games.
Sudfeld, one of three finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, became Indiana's all-time career passing yardage leader (7,490) in the Hoosiers third straight Old Oaken Bucket victory over Purdue on Saturday. He finished with 350 yards on 18-of-29 passing with a career-high-tying four touchdowns and one rushing score. Sudfeld also matched a career-high with five total scores and posted a career-best 209.0 passing efficiency mark.
Over the last two weeks, IU's all-time passing touchdown leader (58) owns eight passing TDs and 10 total scores. The Modesto, Calif., native is 41-of-64 (64.1 percent) for 735 yards, good for a 201.78 passer rating.
It is Sudfeld's fifth career game with four passing scores, a school record, and his third this season. He completed seven passes over 20 yards, including 22-, 23- and 72-yard touchdowns. The 72-yarder is the second-longest TD of his career.
In addition to leading the Hoosiers in all-time passing yardage and touchdowns, he is first in 200-yard (19), 300-yard (10) and 350-yard (5) games, tied for first in three-touchdown games (9), tied for second in completions (565) and 250-yard games (12), is third in total offense (7,602) and is fifth in attempts (932).
On the school's single-season list, his 3,184 yards are first, his six 300-yard games share first, his 24 touchdowns share second, his 3,225 total yards are third, his 219 completions are fifth and his 361 attempts are eighth.
Indiana is bowl eligible for the first time since 2007, when the Hoosiers went to the Insight Bowl and finished 7-6. IU's six wins are the most for the program since that same campaign.
With the victory over the Boilermakers, Indiana has won three consecutive Old Oaken Bucket games for the first time since a four-game winning streak from 1944-47. The Hoosiers won in West Lafayette for the first time since 2010, improved to 4-2 against Purdue this decade and 3-2 under head coach Kevin Wilson.
IU won its final two games for the first time since 2001, its final two road games for the first time since 1982 and its final two games with both being on the road for the first time since 1946.
Indiana had not won back-to-back Big Ten games since 2012, two Big Ten road games in the same year since 2001, back-to-back Big Ten road games since 1993 and three road games in a single season since 1994, which also was its last year with a winning record away from home (3-2).