Miami sweeps BIG EAST Player of Week Awards
Nov. 25, 2002
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Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) — – Miami’s Willis McGahee has been named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced. The Hurricanes’ D.J. Williams and West Virginia’s Grant Wiley shared defensive honors, while UM’s Sean Taylor won Special Teams Player of the Week.
McGahee (Miami, Fla.) led the Miami offense in a 28-21 win over Pittsburgh. The sophomore running back finished with 159 yards on 19 carries (8.4 avg.) and scored two touchdowns. He amassed the total against a Panther rush defense that entered the game ranked No. 21 nationally. It was McGahee’s eighth 100-yard game of the season, as he finished with 170 all-purpose yards after adding an 11-yard reception.
Williams (Pittsburg, Calif.) had a career-high 16 tackles (seven solo) in the victory over Pittsburgh. The junior linebacker recorded four of his tackles for losses of 16 yards, including two sacks (14 yards). He also forced a fumble in the third quarter as the Panthers were driving for the tying score deep inside UM territory.
Wiley (Trappe, Pa.) was the key on defense as West Virginia won at Virginia Tech, 21-18. The junior linebacker had 15 tackles (10 solo), tying his season high. On a goal-line stand against the Hokies in the fourth quarter, he was credited with the tackle on second and fourth down as WVU stopped the Hokies on three tries from the one-yard line. Wiley also had two tackles for loss (three yards), a fumble recovery and intercepted a two-point conversion. He leads the Mountaineers with 122 tackles this season.
Taylor (Miami, Fla.) returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown on Miami’s first possession against Pittsburgh. The sophomore safety took a reverse handoff and recorded the longest punt return by a UM player since Nov. 25, 2000 (Daryl Jones, 87 yards vs. Boston College). Taylor’s return was the ninth-longest in school history. He also deflected a Panther punt in the contest.
