Week 9 Big 12 Football Players of the Week Announced
With Week 9 of the college football season officially in the books, the Big 12 Conference announced four players that would be taking home the ninth iteration of the Big 12 Football Weekly Awards for the 2023 season.
Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon won the Offensive Player of the Week title for the third time this season while his teammate Leon Johnson III split the title of Newcomer of the Week with WVU DB Beanie Bishop. Bishop also took home the title of Defensive Player of the Week, and Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy was selected as the Special Teams Player of the Week.
Gordon earned the title of the Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Cowboys to a 45-13 win over Cincinnati on Saturday night. Gordon was unstoppable in Week 9 rushing for 271 yards and two touchdowns against the No. 18 rush defense in the country. The sophomore running back continues to find himself in elite company joining Barry Sanders as the second player in program history with back-to-back games of 250+ rushing yards. Gordon also joined Boston College’s Andre Williams as the only two FBS players over the last 20 seasons with 250 scrimmage yards in three straight games.
West Virginia’s senior defensive back Beanie Bishop was all over the field on Saturday, leading the team in takeaways with two turnovers forced in the Mountaineers’ Week 9 win over UCF. The Kentucky native’s two-interception day brought his season total to four which is more than the Mountaineers’ defense had all last season. Bishop became the first Mountaineer to record a multi-interception game since Josh Chandler-Semedo in the 2021 season against Kansas.
Oklahoma State receiver Leon Johnson III earned his first Newcomer of the Week Award in Saturday’s 45-13 win over Cincinnati bringing in five catches for 149 yards on the day. The senior wideout became the first player with 100 receiving yards in his first start at Oklahoma State since Tay Martin accomplished the feat in September of 2021 against Missouri State, according to the official release.
While Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy is well-known as one of the best pass catchers in all of college football, he made his mark on special teams in Saturday’s 35-6 win over BYU. Worthy made a 74-yard house call in the first quarter of the game to get the Longhorns on the board with his first punt return touchdown of his career. Worthy’s score became the first punt return touchdown by a member of the Longhorns since 2018 as well as the 10th-longest return in program history.
Last Week’s Winners:
Offense: Ollie Gordon II, OSU, RB, So.
Defense: Eddie Heckard, BYU, CB, Sr.
Newcomer: Nic Anderson, OU, WR, Fr.
Special Teams: Isaiah Hankins, BU, K, So.
