DeKALB – Redshirt freshman wide receiver Dane Pardridge earned MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in NIU football’s (5-6, 4-3) 24-0 win Tuesday over Western Michigan University.
Pardridge returned just one punt in Tuesday’s win, taking it to the endzone for a 55-yard score and extending the Huskie lead to 21-0 in the third quarter. In addition to his punt-return touchdown, Pardridge added 2 catches for 22 yards on the offensive side of the ball.
Pardridge’s score was the first punt-return touchdown by a Huskie since then-freshman wide receiver Perez Ashford’s in 2009 against Miami University.
Pardridge, a walk-on and a DeKalb native, has seen increased playing time since senior wide receiver Kacper Rutkiewicz went down with an injury against the University of Akron on Oct. 7.
This is the second straight week a Huskie has earned a MAC West Player of the Week honor after redshirt senior linebacker Tyler Jackson did so against Ball State University on Nov. 7.
Pardridge is the fifth Huskie to receive a MAC West Player of the Week honor this season and the third Huskie to win the MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week award.
Pardridge joins NIU teammates junior running back Antario Brown, redshirt sophomore kicker Kanon Woodill, redshirt junior punter Tom Foley and Jackson as MAC West Player of the Week award winners.
The Huskies final game of the regular season will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Kent, Ohio, against Kent State University. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
