West Virginia senior linebacker Reed Williams was named the Big East Conference defensive player of the week for his performance in the Mountaineers 24-21 victory at Rutgers on Saturday.

Williams had nine tackles, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup in the regular season finale, lifting the Mountaineers (9-3) to the Gator Bowl and their eighth consecutive finish in second place or better in the Big East.

Williams, a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America selection, led a West Virginia defense that held Rutgers to 218 yards of offense and limited an opponent to fewer than 100 rushing yards for the fifth time this season.

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