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The Illini woke up to some good news on Monday morning as both Wes Lunt and Mike Dudek have received weekly awards from the Big Ten. Lunt was named conference's offensive player of the week, while Dudek was designated freshman of the week.
The first of hopefully many @B1GFootball honors for #Illini Lunt & Dudek. #B1G pic.twitter.com/GYkzFkstyE
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) September 8, 2014
Wes Lunt was a key component in Illinois' recent win over Western Kentucky. The sophomore QB completed 35/50 passes for a career-high 456 yards and 3 TDs; in the fourth quarter alone, Lunt was 10/11 for 154 yards and 1 TD. His 456 passing yards rank second in Memorial Stadium history (Juice Williams, 462 yards). The last Illini to win Offensive Player of the Week was former WR Steve Hull (November 25, 2013).
Mike Dudek has been a bright spot in the Illinois passing game. On Saturday he tallied 4 receptions for 55 yards and a TD in the victory. Dudek became the first Illini newcomer since 2003 to tally a touchdown reception in each of his first two games. The last Illinois freshman to win Freshman of the Week was QB Aaron Bailey (September 30, 2013).
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