Oct. 4, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern junior Stefan Demos (Scottsdale, Ariz./Horizon) was named the Big Ten Conference Co-Special Teams Player of the Week Sunday night. The announcement was made live on the Big Ten Network's "Big Ten Tonight." He shared this week's special teams honor with Penn State punter Jeremy Boone.
It is the second such honor for Demos, who handles both punting and place-kicking duties for the Wildcats. The Arizona native earned his first career Big Ten weekly honor for his performance as a punter on Sept. 1, 2008 (vs. Syracuse).
Against Purdue, Demos connected on all four of his field goal attempts and added an extra point for a career-best 13 points to help Northwestern rally from a 21-3 deficit and earn its third straight Big Ten road win. The junior kicker also recorded four punts for 125 yards for an average of 31.3 yards per boot, including placing one inside the 20-yard line.
After connecting on an 18-yarder in the first quarter, Demos added field goals of 35 and 25 yards in the last minute of the first half to pull the Wildcats within 21-16 at the break. He added a fourth field goal, a single-game best, from 39 yards in the third quarter to narrow the deficit to 21-19. Earlier this season, Demos drilled a 49-yard field goal in the final seconds to help the Wildcats defeate Eastern Michigan 27-24.
Demos is now a perfect 8-of-8 on field goals this year and ranks 22nd nationally with his 1.6 field goals per game. Among players who have attempted eight or more field goals this season, he is one of two players who has yet to miss a field goal (Missouri's Grant Ressel is the other; he is 10-of-10).