Missouri sophomore tailback Henry Josey has been named co-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday morning. Josey was recognized for his unbelievable performance against Western Illinois, where he ran for 263 yards on just 14 carries. It’s the first career Big 12 award for Josey.

With Missouri’s backfield ravished by injuries, Josey put the Tiger offense on his back with a per-carry average of 18.79, while also totaling three scores in just one half of action. He broke off scores of six yards and 21 yards in the first quarter, before closing out the first half with a 68-yard scamper with 52 seconds left on the clock to give the Tigers a 42-0 halftime lead.

His 263 yards is the highest single-game output by anyone in the NCAA so far this season, while his two quarters of work produced the fourth-highest single-game total in Missouri history, trailing only Devin West in 1998 (319 vs. Kansas), Brad Smith in 2003 (291 vs. Texas Tech) and Tony Temple in the 2008 Cotton Bowl (281 vs. Arkansas).

Josey’s outburst propelled him to first in the Big 12 and sixth nationally with a per-game average of 133.33. His per-rush average of 13.8 through three games leads the nation amongst those with at least 15 carries on the year. Josey is the first Missouri tailback since West won the award on Oct. 10, 1998 for his play against Iowa State.

Josey and the Tigers open up Big 12 action this weekend with a date against the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners. Action will get underway at 7 p.m. CT and can be heard on ESPN 1550.

— MU Sports Information —