Cironi, Swenson Earn Big Ten All-Freshman Honors
12/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 1, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State offensive tackle Rocco Cironi and placekicker Brett Swenson have been named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team as selected by The Sporting News.
Cironi, a 6-foot-6, 288-pound red-shirt freshman, saw action in seven games in 2006, including starting assignments at left tackle in back-to-back road games against Northwestern and Indiana. He graded out 90 percent or higher in six of seven games. Cironi scored a season-best 96 percent in the home finale against Minnesota. The Warren, Ohio, native graded 95 percent against top-ranked Ohio State, including a pancake block. He scored 92 percent in his first career start against Northwestern, including one pancake. Cironi produced a perfect score (100 percent) in limited action at Pittsburgh.
 Brett Swenson celebrates with the fans after his 28-yard field goal with 13 seconds left gave MSU a 41-38 victory over Northwestern.  | |
The 5-8, 151-pound Swenson led the team in scoring as a true freshman with 78 points, converting 15-of-19 field-goal attempts and all 33 extra-point tries. His 15 made field goals represent the ninth-best single-season total in Spartan history (tied with Morten Andersen, 1981). An honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media, Swenson finished the regular season ranked among the conference leaders in field goals (tied for third with 1.25 made per game), field-goal percentage (tied for third at .789), kick scoring (fourth at 6.5 points per game) and overall scoring (tied for seventh).
Swenson converted 12-of-13 field-goal attempts during a late-season stretch, including six in a row. He also hit six-straight field goals during a five-game stretch early in the season.
He went 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts from 40-49 yards, including a 45-yarder in the first quarter at Penn State.
Swenson was perfect on three field-goal attempts against Purdue, including a season-long 46-yarder in the second quarter. He also converted field-goal attempts from 22 and 40 yards against the Boilermakers.
The Pompano Beach, Fla., native was named one of the Lou Groza Award's Top Three Stars of the Week after his 28-yard field goal with 13 seconds left gave Michigan State a 41-38 victory at Northwestern, completing the greatest comeback in NCAA I-A history as the Spartans rallied from a 35-point third-quarter deficit. Swenson accounted for 11 points against the Wildcats, hitting 2-of-2 field-goal attempts and all five PATs.
Swenson accounted for nine points in the 2006 season opener against Idaho, hitting 2-of-3 field-goal attempts and all three extra-point tries. His 23-yard field goal with 30 seconds left iced the game as Michigan State extended its lead to 10 at 27-17.
