Iowa State’s Abu Sama III (offensive and newcomer), Oklahoma State’s Trey Rucker (defensive) and Baylor’s Richard Reese (special teams) picked up the season’s final Big 12 football weekly awards. Sama was honored for the second week in the last three while Reese was recognized for the third time in his career.

Making his first career start, Sama finished with 276 yards on 16 carries for a 17.2-yard average in Iowa State’s 42-35 win over K-State played in a snowstorm. The true freshman running back had a 71-yard rushing touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and added scoring runs of 77 and 60 yards later in the game. His 276 rushing yard total was the fourth-most in school history, most in a road game in school history and the most by a Cyclone freshman. Sama was the second FBS player since 1996 with three or more rushing touchdowns of 60 yards against a ranked opponent and the first player in the Big 12 to have two 70-plus yard rushing touchdowns in a game since Adrian Peterson in 2005. His 276 yards were the fourth-most in a single game in the FBS this season. Sama also had one reception for 11 yards as ISU improved from one Big 12 win in 2022 to six conference wins this season, the biggest improvement by a zero or one-win team in league history.

Rucker recorded both of OSU’s forced turnovers in the Cowboys’ 40-34 double-overtime win over BYU to reach the Big 12 Championship. He made the game-clinching play on the final snap of the game when he wrestled down a 6-6, 255-pound tight end while ripping out the ball to force a fumble right before the ball carrier was down. Rucker then immediately recovered the ball while still on the ground to end the game and send the Cowboys to Arlington. Earlier in the game, the university studies major recovered a fumble at the BYU 19-yard line that led to OSU’s second score of the game. The senior safety finished with six total tackles, including five solo stops and a third-down solo stop in the fourth quarter that forced a punt and led to an OSU touchdown on the following drive.

Reese returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in Baylor’s game against West Virginia. Trailing 10-0, Reese raced 96 yards to get the Bears on the board. On the very next WVU kickoff, Reese took another one back 93 yards to pull BU back within three again at 17-14. The sophomore communication major became just the second Baylor player in program history with two kick return TDs in the same game, and the first to do so on consecutive kicks. He finished the game with 247 return yards on five attempts.