A receiver with an unusual name was the star of an unusual game. Michigan State receiver Plaxico Burress hauled in 10 receptions for a school-record 255 yards and one touchdown in the Spartans’ 34-31 upset victory over Michigan.
Both teams set school records for passing yards. Michigan State quarterback Bill Burke threw for 400 yards, while the Wolverines’ pair of Tom Brady (285 yards) and Drew Henson (111) combined for 396.
On the strength of the upset, Michigan State jumped to fifth in the Associated Press top 25, while the Wolverines dropped to No. 10.
The 796 passing yards are the most between the intrastate rivals in their 92-game history.
Short comes up big
Senior linebacker Brandon Short of Penn State was named Big Ten defensive player of the week for his efforts in the Lions’ 31-7 win over Iowa.
Short tallied a team-high 10 tackles, a sack and a partially blocked punt against the Hawkeyes.
The co-captain is one of three outstanding linebackers at Penn State — a group that includes LaVar Arrington and Mac Morrison.
Two-timing Thomas
Minnesota senior running back Thomas Hamner was noted as one of the top performers in the Big Ten this weekend. Hamner collected 236 all-purpose yards — 144 yards rushing and 92 yards receiving — and one touchdown in the Gophers’ 20-17 overtime loss to Wisconsin.
Hamner currently leads the Big Ten in all-purpose yards with an average of 150.2 per game.
Paterno just says ‘no’
Penn State has historically been one of college football’s most successful programs and consequently they’ve been in the spotlight as much as anybody.
The same has held true for the second-ranked Lions this season and coach Joe Paterno apparently has seen enough. As a result, Paterno barred most of his players from interviews this week. But the coach insists that the imposed silence has nothing to do with No. 18 Ohio State coming to town Saturday.
“These kids have had a lot of distractions from their school work and other things,” Paterno said. “We’re letting some people talk to the media, just not some of the people that everybody wants to talk to.
“If I don’t say ‘no’ to everything, then I’ve got to be making decisions about which kids gets how much time with whom and I don’t want to do that, it gets to be a hassle.”
David La Vaque covers football and welcomes comments at [email protected]