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Buckeyes QB wins double award

Nittany Lions WR gets media honor

Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson (5) scores a touchdown against Michigan State's Xavier Henderson, bottom right, and Darius Snow (23) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

From Mirror, wire reports

ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Big Ten announced Wednesday that Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud is its offensive player of the year and freshman of the year.

Stroud led the nation’s top offense and ranks among the top seven passers in eight categories. His 70.9% completion rate and 351.1 yards per game are on track to be school single-season records, and his 3,862 passing yards rank second in school history; his 38 touchdown passes are third.

The Big Ten coaches’ all-conference first-team offense: quarterback, Stroud; running backs, Hassan Haskins, Michigan; Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State; receivers, Chris Olave, Ohio State; David Bell, Purdue; center, Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa; guards, Thayer Munford, Ohio State; Josh Seltzner, Wisconsin; tackles, Daniel Faalele, Minnesota; Nicholas Petit-Frere, Ohio State; tight end, Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin.

Defensive and special teams honorees were announced Tuesday. The Associated Press will announce its Big Ten awards next week.

Penn State senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media, it was announced on Wednesday. This comes after Dotson earned third team honors on Tuesday as a return specialist.

Joining Dotson was redshirt junior OL Rasheed Walker (third team), redshirt senior QB Sean Clifford (honorable mention), OL Juice Scruggs (honorable mention), OL Mike Miranda (honorable mention) and TE Brenton Strange (honorable mention)

With the six offensive honorees, Penn State had a total of 18 All-Big Ten selections in 2021.

Dotson, a current semifinalist Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, was also a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award and on the watch lists for the Maxwell and Paul Hornung Awards.

He is the only Power Five receiver and one of two FBS receivers with at least 90 receptions, 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns in their first 12 games of the season, joining Western Kentucky’s Jerreth Sterns (127, 1,539, 12).

Walker, who was on the preseason Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Watch Lists, leads the returnees with 32 starts, all at left tackle. Penn State did not allow a sack against Auburn on 33 pass attempts and against Indiana on 34 pass attempts.

Clifford is in his third season as Penn State’s starting signal caller, having played in 36 career games, making 31 starts. The quarterback is a finalist for the NFF’s William V. Campbell Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top football scholar athlete and is a member of the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Class.

He is just one of three Penn State players all-time to reach 8,000-plus yards of total offense and one of three quarterbacks to reach 7,500 career passing yards. Clifford owns 26 career games with multi-TD passes, including 12 with three or more TDs, most by a PSU quarterback since 2000, and three with four or more.

Scruggs made his first career start against Wisconsin. He has played in 20 games with 12 starts. Miranda has been a valuable member of the line with his versatility. He’s appeared in 46 games with 29 starts, including nine at left guard, nine at right guard and 12 at center. Strange had 19 receptions for 226 yards and three touchdowns this season.

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