The accolades keep coming for C.J. Stroud.
Following his record-breaking performance against Michigan State on Oct. 8, the Ohio State quarterback was named the Maxwell Award player of the week on Tuesday.
C.J. Stroud is the Week 6 Maxwell Award Player of the Week @OhioStateFB | @CJ7STROUD | #MaxwellFootball
— Maxwell Football (@MaxwellFootball) October 11, 2022
https://t.co/rWkId3cmaO pic.twitter.com/5xnYVdIPAc
In the Buckeyes' win over the Spartans, Stroud completed 21 of 26 passes for 361 yards and six touchdowns. It was the third time in 18 starts that Stroud had thrown for six scores, setting an Ohio State record as he surpassed Dwayne Haskins and J.T. Barrett for the most in school history. He also claimed a Big Ten record for the same accomplishment, surpassing Haskins, Barrett, Iowa's Chuck Long and Purdue's Drew Brees in career games with six passing touchdowns.
Those accomplishments made Stroud an easy choice for Ohio State's offensive player of the week on Sunday, and he earned the same recognition from the Big Ten on Monday. The Maxwell player of the week on Tuesday makes it three straight days with an award for the Buckeye signal-caller.
At a press conference on Tuesday, head coach Ryan Day said he was impressed with Stroud's performance against Michigan State. He also commented on his assessment of Stroud through Ohio State's 6-0 start to the season.
"In the first six games, I think the first thing you notice is his movement. I think you could see that in the first couple of games his movement has improved. Whether it's been out of the pocket doing some things that are designed, or not designed like scrambling and extending plays like he had to do the first couple of games," Day said. "His red zone play has been excellent. When he's had to throw the ball away, he's thrown the ball away, but he's made some really good throws down there, which has led to us being successful in the red zone. But overall, I think it's his vision, his leadership, his accuracy. All of the above."
This year, Stroud leads the nation with 24 passing touchdowns. He also paces the NCAA in passing efficiency (207.57) and passing yards per completion (15.37) while ranking second in points responsible for (144), 12th in passing yards (1,737) and completion percentage (70.6) and 15th in passing yards per game (289.50).
After the off week, Stroud's next test will come against Iowa on Oct. 22. Through six games, the Hawkeyes have the No. 9 total defense and No. 3 scoring in the country, allowing 265 yards and 9.83 points per game to their opponents, so Stroud will need to be on top of his game for the Buckeyes to move the ball around the field.
