Football: Slaton; Lorello Earn Big East Honors
October 17, 2005 01:04 PM | General
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - West Virginia running back Steve Slaton and safety Mike Lorello and Rutgers' Corey Barnes received BIG EAST Conference weekly football honors on Monday. Slaton was named the BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Week, while Lorello earned Defensive Player of the Week honors. Barnes received BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week accolades.
In a 46-44 triple overtime win over No. 19 Louisville on Oct. 15, Slaton - a freshman running back for the Mountaineers - set a school record and tied a BIG EAST record with six touchdowns. His 36 points also tied a league mark. Slaton rushed for 188 yards and five touchdowns and also caught a 14-yard touchdown pass, to help the Mountaineers rally from a 24-7 fourth quarter deficit.
Lorello registered a season-high 11 tackles, including six solo stops and one tackle for loss, in the win over Louisville. Lorello also broke up three passes and posted one interception. Trailing 17-0 at the half, Lorello and the West Virginia defense held UL to just one score in the second half.
In Rutgers' 31-9 win at Syracuse on Oct. 15, Barnes scored two touchdowns, including a blocked punt that he took 16 yards for an RU score. On defense, Barnes returned a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown. In addition, the Scarlet Knight senior contributed three tackles. Barnes' first touchdown of the game marked the first time a punt had been returned for a touchdown by a Rutgers' player since Nov. 8, 2003 versus Connecticut.
