Gophers kicker Chris Hawthorne has earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors, the conference announced Monday.

Hawthorne, a senior from Raleigh, N.C., converted two field goal attempts and four extra points during Minnesota's 34-23 win over Nebraska on Saturday.  His 26-yard field goal in the second quarter gave the Gophers a 17-10 lead, and his season-long, 45-yard boot in the third gave Minnesota a 27-13 advantage.  

Hawthorne has converted 11 of 14 field goal attempts and 26 of 29 extra point attempts through eight games this season.  He's also handled kickoff duties.  

The Gophers (6-2, 2-2 Big Ten) play Indiana (3-4, 1-2 Big Ten) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Bloomington, Ind.