Geno Smith, Isaiah Bruce nab Big 12 honors
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Geno Smith collected his first Big 12 Player of the Week award today, along with redshirt freshman Isaiah Bruce.
Smith engineered one of the best games of his career, leading the Mountaineers to a 69-34 opening week win agaisnt Marshall. He went 32-of-36 for 323 yards, and rushed for another 65 yards in three quarters.
What was most impressive was the poise with which he operated on the field.
Said Coach Dana Holgorsen today: "You can see he’s seasoned. It was the best quarterback I’ve been around from an operational standpoint, taking care of the football, checking the plays. There’s a lot of things he does you can’t see unless (you're) out there."
Bruce amassed a game high 16 tackles and returned a fumble 43 yards for a score to make quite a statment in his first career start.
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West Virginia moved up to No. 9 in the AP Top-25 poll and to No. 8 in the USA Today/Coaches poll.
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From the Big 12:
Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
Geno Smith, West Virginia, QB, Sr, Miami, Fla.
Geno Smith accounted for five touchdowns (four passing, one running) as No. 11 West Virginia defeated Marshall, 69-34. He completed 32-of-36 passes for 323 yards and rushed for 65 more yards and one score in just three quarters of work. He was also named Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week.
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
Isaiah Bruce, West Virginia, LB, Fr, Jacksonville, Fla.
In his first collegiate game, Isaiah Bruce finished with a game-high 16 tackles, including seven solo stops for the Mountaineers. He also had a tackle for a loss of eight yards and picked up a fumble and raced 43 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week
Kirby Van Der Kamp, Iowa State, P, Jr, West Des Moines, Iowa
Kirby Van Der Kamp played a major role in Iowa State's 38-23 win over Tulsa as he averaged 43 yards on nine punts. He dropped five of those punts inside the Tulsa 20-yard line, forcing the Golden Hurricane to begin drives from their own 2, 9, 15, 8 and 13-yard lines