Northwestern University Athletics
Gradone Tabbed Big Ten Specialist of the Week
9/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Follow @NU_Sports
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior punter Chris Gradone played a key role in helping Northwestern win the field position battle against Western Illinois Saturday and was rewarded with Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors, the league announced Monday morning.
Gradone planted six of his seven punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line -- doubling his previous single-game high of three kicks inside the 20 -- and averaged a career-best 44.1 yards per punt on the day. Gradone's efforts included a 55-yard boot downed at the WIU 11-yard line, a 47-yarder to the opposing 5, and a 46-yard kick that rolled out of bounds inside the 1-yard line.
Over the last two games, Gradone has averaged 43.0 yards on his 15 punts.
For more on this week's Big Ten weekly honor roll, visit BigTen.org.
Northwestern opens Big Ten play on the road this weekend when it travels to undefeated Penn State (4-0, 1-0). Kickoff at Beaver Stadium is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT with television coverage provided by the Big Ten Network.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter and Instagram, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook and sign up to receive promotional text alerts for the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!
