Maryland football’s senior kicker Joseph Petrino was named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, the Big Ten revealed on Monday morning.
Petrino was the hero for Maryland last time out against Illinois in the program’s 20-17 road victory as he knocked in the 32-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to give the Terps the win. It was his first-ever game-winning field goal without time remaining on the clock and it was the Terps’ first walk-off victory since the 2006 season.
Petrino successfully hit two of his three field goal attempts in Maryland’s first win over a Big Ten opponent this season. In 2021, the senior has connected on six of his nine field goal attempts and has hit 12-of-12 of his extra point attempts. His longest field goal of the season came against West Virginia back on Sept. 4 when he hit a 45-yarder.
This is the first time in Petrino’s career that he has earned a Special Teams Player of the Week honor. The last time a Maryland player received Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors was running back Javon Leake in November 2019.
Petrino’s game-winning kick against Illinois helped Maryland improve to a perfect 3-0 record on the season. The Terps have Kent State next on the schedule and they will face that program on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m.