Senior quarterback Alek Torgersen leaves Penn holding records for total yards, passing touchdowns, and completion percentage.
Credit: Griff FitzsimmonsIt may have taken four years and 30 games, but Alek Torgersen finally has his second weekly award.
The Penn football senior quarterback, recipient of Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors for his first-ever appearance against Cornell in 2013, was named the conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, the second such award for his career.
Torgersen was joined by a teammate on the other side of the field, as sophomore defensive back Mason Williams was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week for the first time of his career.
It is the third time in the last four weeks the Red and Blue have had a player get the award, as junior defensive lineman Louis Vecchio won it last week and sophomore defensive back Sam Philippi brought it home on Oct. 31.
With a second-quarter interception against Cornell, Williams became the first Penn player to record six picks in a season since Ross Armstrong in 1984.
Torgersen concluded his career with a bevy of program records, including total yards, passing touchdowns and completion percentage. He became just the eighth player in Ivy League history to surpass 7,000 career passing yards, which he did during his 284-yard performance on Saturday.
Along with junior wide receiver Justin Watson, Torgersen has been one-half of the most productive duo in Penn history. In 29 games together over the course of the last three years, they combined for 192 receptions, 2,456 yards and 17 touchdowns, all program records for a single partnership.
For his part, Watson has been named one of 15 finalists for the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision each year. Watson led the Ivy League in receptions (89), receiving yards (1,115) and touchdowns (8) this season, setting program records in each of the first two.
Two other finalists for the award, Chase Edmonds of Fordham and Troy Pelletier of Lehigh, played against Penn this season, with the Rams and Mountain Hawks handing the Quakers two of their three losses on the year.
The Quakers clinched a record-tying 18th Ivy league title with Saturday’s 42-20 win over Cornell, sharing the crown with Princeton after both went 6-1 in conference play.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate