EAST LANSING – Michigan State senior placekicker Brett Swenson, who connected on all four of his field-goal attempts including a 21-yard game-winner as the Spartans rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 40-37 victory at Purdue, has been selected Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week. With the win, Michigan State became bowl eligible for the third-straight year.

It marks the fourth time in his career that Swenson has earned conference weekly honors. This week’s award winners were announced live Sunday on the Big Ten Network’s Big Ten Tonight.

In addition to his selection as Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, Swenson has been named National Placekicker of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards and one of the Lou Groza Award’s Top Three Stars of the Week.

The 5-foot-8, 185-pound Swenson matched his career highs with 16 points and four field goals against the Boilermakers. He hit a 28-yard field goal late in the second quarter and a pair of career-long 52-yarders in the third quarter. Keshawn Martin’s 85-yard kickoff return to the Purdue 11-yard line set up Swenson’s game-winning field goal with 1:51 left. It marked his third career game-winning kick (2006 vs. Northwestern and 2008 vs. Wisconsin).

In addition, four of Swenson’s nine kickoffs against Purdue resulted in touchbacks.
“Brett Swenson had an outstanding performance at Purdue, going 4-for-4 on field goals,” Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio said. “He responded with two clutch 52-yarders in the third quarter, and both of those kicks provided must-have points.

“I trust him explicitly, especially when the game is on the line. Brett doesn’t rush himself in those situations. He gets himself prepared on the sideline, so he’s extremely focused and confident when he goes in to kick.

“He has had a remarkable career at Michigan State, completely rewriting the record book. With his accuracy and mental toughness, Brett is the finest placekicker in the country.”

Swenson, one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, ranks first among NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision active scoring leaders with 368 career points, 14 points ahead of Alabama’s Leigh Tiffin (354). His 70 career field goals rank second among active NCAA FBS kickers, trailing only Tiffin (77 made).

The 5-foot-8, 185-pound Swenson already ranks as MSU’s all-time leader in scoring (368 career points), field goals (70 made) and extra points (158 made) and stands second in field-goal percentage (.787). The Pompano Beach, Fla., native also ranks among the Big Ten’s all-time leaders in kick scoring (second), field goals (fourth), total points (fifth) and extra points (seventh).

In 2009, Swenson leads the Big Ten in scoring (8.4 points per game), field goals (1.64 made per game) and field-goal percentage (.900). He leads the team in scoring with 92 points, converting 18-of-20 field-goal attempts and 38-of-39 extra-point tries. His 18 field goals rank among the Top 10 single-season totals in MSU history (tied for sixth with John Langeloh, 1988). Swenson made nine consecutive field goals during one six-game stretch (Sept. 26 Wisconsin-Oct. 31 Minnesota).