Alexander Named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
Nov. 16, 2009
Dallas, Texas - University of Missouri senior wide receiver Danario Alexander (Marlin, Texas) has been named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league office this morning. Alexander was cited for his outstanding play in helping lead Mizzou to a 38-12 win at North Division-leading Kansas State last Saturday, as he caught 10 passes for 200 yards and an MU record-tying three touchdowns. He becomes the first wide receiver in Big 12 history to win the award twice in the same year (he also won for his 9-catch, 170-yard, 2-TD game at Nevada on Sept. 25th). Alexander's scores at Kansas State covered 54, 16 and 80 yards, respectively. His final score was the play of the game, as it came with less than one minute left in the third quarter with the Tigers clinging to a 17-12 lead. After Kansas State owned the ball for virtually all of the third quarter and closed to within five points after a pair of field goals, Alexander quickly killed the Wildcat momentum as he took a 12-yard dig route, catching the ball near the MU 30-yardline. He made one move to make a closing safety miss, and he burst to the left sideline to pay dirt, outracing the entire K-State secondary for an 80-yard score to give MU a 24-12 lead. Alexander is becoming a prime candidate for All-American honors, as he currently leads the Big 12 and ranks 3rd nationally with his 123.80 receiving yards per game average. He also ranks 2nd in the Big 12, and 5th in the NCAA with his 8.10 receptions per game, while his 11 receiving touchdowns on the year is tied for 3rd-most in the nation. The performance at Kansas State marked his second consecutive 200-yard receiving day, as it followed a 13-catch, 214-yard, 1-score game against Baylor the week before. Alexander is currently the only player in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to post two games with 200 receiving yards or more in 2009. There have been 10 200-yard receiving games overall in FBS this season, but only four of them have come against BCS-league opponents, and Alexander has two of them.
Additionally, he is one of only two players in 2009 with two touchdown receptions of 80 yards or more. Alexander has also done everything he can to try and put the Tiger offense on his back of late. In MU's last five games, he's averaged 158.2 receiving yards per game, thanks to 46 receptions for 791 yards (a 17.2 avg.) with seven touchdowns. Alexander and the Tigers are continuing preparations for their 2009 home finale, scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium against the Iowa State Cyclones. Tickets are available for purchase at www.mutigers.com |
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