Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, October 17, 2011
Week 6 of the NFL season is in the books, and Big Ten products got after it again. All season long, use our Big Ten NFL Stat Tracker to see how ex-Big Ten stars performed each week. Simply click on a player's name, and the link will lead you to his NFL.com game log. Every Tuesday, Brent Yarina singles out the Big Ten's best offensive, defensive and special teams performances, plus links to their NFL.com highlights. Watch our Next Level crew discuss former Illini Brandon Lloyd's trade to St. Louis now and see Brent's Week 6 winners in this post.
Offense: Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh – The Illinois product busted out of a prolonged slump with a season-high 146 yards, including a 68-yarder, and a touchdown (Watch the TD!) in Pittsburgh's 17-13 win over Jacksonville. In his first four games, Mendenhall had just 173 rushing yards. Also, former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady (27-41, 289 yards, 2 TDs) threw the game-winning touchdown pass (Watch it!) in New England's 20-16 last-minute win over Dallas.
Defense: Kurt Coleman, Philadelphia -The former Ohio State defensive back entered Sunday with one interception in his first 20 career games. He tripled that number in Philadelphia's 20-13 win at Washington, believe it or not, and also added a team-high seven tackles. His third interception of the day (Watch it!) forced Washington quarterback Rex Grossman to the bench.
Special Teams: Robbie Gould, Chicago – For all the struggles the Bears have had on offense, Gould has been the team's one reliable option. The Penn State product nailed all three of his field goals, including a 51-yarder (Watch it!), and hit each of his four extra points to stay perfect on the season (13-13 FGs, 15-15 XPS) in Chicago's 39-10 destruction of struggling Minnesota.
Have a nominee for Brent's weekly Big Ten NFL recap? Tweet it to @BTNBrentYarina.
Want more coverage of Big Ten products in the NFL? Check out ?The Next Level? at 7 p.m. Tuesday to hear Rick Pizzo, Russ Lande, Brandon Williams and Jon Jansen talk about Big Ten players on the NFL radar. On tonight?s show, the crew interviews Iowa?s Shaun Prater, talks about this week?s highly anticipated Jerel Worthy-Peter Konz matchup, discusses how Jared Crick?s season-ending injury affects his draft status, offers its thoughts on Jim Harbaugh?s postgame altercation and considers what position best suits the recently instated Terrelle Pryor.
