Haskins, Bush receive top honors on AP All-Big Ten team

Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. is the offensive player of the year and Michigan linebacker Devin Bush is defensive player of the year on The Associated Press All-Big Ten Conference team released Wednesday.

Freshman receiver Rondale Moore of Purdue was voted newcomer of the year, and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald was named coach of the year after leading the Wildcats to the Big Ten championship game for the first time.

Michigan had seven players on the first team, including five from the nation’s top-ranked defense. Wisconsin had five first-team picks and conference champion Ohio State had three.

Haskins, in his first year as a starter, set Big Ten records and leads the nation with 4,580 passing yards and 47 touchdown passes. He passed for more than 300 yards in nine games, including five games with better than 400 yards.

Bush has been a disruptive force for Michigan, leading the team with 80 tackles and ranking second from his linebacker position in sacks (five) and tackles for loss (9.5).

Moore occupied two spots, as a wide receiver and all-purpose player. Moore’s 103 receptions are most in the nation and secondmost in a season by a Big Ten player, and his 1,164 receiving yards lead the conference. Moore also rushed for 203 yards on 18 carries and returned punts and kicks for the Boilermakers.

Four of Wisconsin’s five first-team picks are repeat selections. Ohio State defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones also made the first team for the second straight year.

Fitzgerald, Northwestern’s 13th-year coach, led the Wildcats to an 8-1 record in Big Ten play, matching the best mark in program history. They went 0-3 in nonconference play and had to overcome a spate of injuries to win their first West Division title.

MLB

CARDINALS GET GOLDSCHMIDT FROM D-BACKS >> St. Louis has struck gold in their search for a big hitter, getting All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt from the Diamondbacks in a multiplayer trade.

The Cardinals sent pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly, minor league infielder Andy Young and a 2019 draft pick to Arizona in the deal Wednesday.

A six-time All-Star at 31, Goldschmidt was among the top players available in the trade market. He hit .290 with 33 home runs and 83 RBI last season and has often finished high in the NL MVP voting.

St. Louis has missed the playoffs for three straight years, its longest absence since 1997-99. Goldschmidt has a $14.5 million salary next year, receives a $1 million assignment bonus for the trade and will be eligible for free agency after next season. The Cardinals believed they needed a boost in the middle of their lineup to compete with the likes of Milwaukee and the Cubs in the NL Central.

NFL

NFL REFS BACK OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF CALLING PLAYER VULGAR NAME >> The NFL Referees Association is questioning why the league isn’t focusing more attention on Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes for threatening umpire Roy Ellison following Buffalo’s game at Miami last weekend.

Ellison has been placed on administrative leave while the NFL investigates Hughes’ accusation that Ellison called him a vulgar name during the game.

In a statement released Wednesday, NFLRA executive director Scott Green says the association expects the NFL’s investigation to clear Ellison while turning the focus on Hughes.

TV video shows the player confronting Ellison in the tunnel near the locker room and accusing him of using a derogatory term.