NICK GRAZIANO NAMED CO-NATIONAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER
OF THE WEEK BY D2FOOTBALL.COM

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech senior quarterback Nick Graziano (Moraga, Calif.) has been named a Division II Co-National Offensive Player of the Week by D2Football.com for his record-setting effort in Tech’s 44-14 win last Saturday at Henderson State.

Graziano, who was named the Gulf South Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season on Monday, shared National Offensive Player of the Week honors with Stillman College running back Quinn Porter. In addition, D2Football.com named Fayetteville State defensive end as the Defensive Player of the Week, while Washburn kicker Steven Ivanisevic.

It is Graziano’s second National D-II Offensive Player of the Week honor as he shared the honor with two other players on Sept. 30 for his performance against Arkansas-Monticello. It is the third time D2Football.com has recognized a Wonder Boy as a National Offensive Player of the Week since 2007 as former Tech signal caller Cole Barthel was honored on Sept. 18, 2007.

Against the Reddies, Graziano, a transfer from the University of Nevada, was 37-for-51 (72.5 completion percentage) passing for a school record 456 yards and had five touchdown passes, including three in the first half to help the Wonder Boys to a 31-7 halftime advantage. In addition, he added 21 yards rushing on two carries and finished the game with a GSC season-high 477 yards of total offense. The 456 passing yards bettered his old single-game school mark of 431 yards Graziano set against West Georgia on Oct. 17. Graziano has thrown for 400 or more yards in three of his last six games, including having two consecutive 400 yard passing games. The 72.5 completion percentage was a season-high by a GSC quarterback this year.

On the season, Graziano is 198-for-314 passing for 2,663 yards and has completed 63.1 percent of his passes and is averaging a GSC-best 332.9 passing yards per game and also is averaging a GSC-best 357.0 yards of total offense per contest. In eight games, Graziano has thrown 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions and has had a hand in 29 of Tech’s 45 touchdowns, as he has scored four times on the ground. He enters Saturday’s regular season home finale with Delta State ranked third nationally in passing yards, fourth in total offense and 14th in passing efficiency (155.4). He is just 260 yards shy of breaking Jason Campbell’s single-season mark for passing yards (2,922 yards in 2004), is just 66 yards shy of breaking Campbell’s school record total offensive yards in a season (2,924 yards in 2004) and is one touchdown pass shy of tying Campbell’s single-season school record of 26, which was set in 2004.

Graziano and the Wonder Boys (6-2 overall, 4-2 GSC) return to action this Saturday, Oct. 31, when they conclude the home portion of its regular season schedule against Delta State (4-4 overall, 3-3 GSC). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. in Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field and the game will mark the final home contest for Tech’s 22-member senior class.

-- Tech Athletics --