BiG Ten Name Iowa/Indiana Players of the Week

November 16, 2020 Broadcast, College 0

VanValkenburg Named B1G Defensive Player of the Week
Credit Source: University of Iowa Athletics

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior defensive lineman Zach VanValkenburg has been named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, following Iowa’s 35-7 win at Minnesota, as the Hawkeyes retained Floyd of Rosedale for a school-record sixth straight year. The announcement was made Monday by the Big Ten Conference office.

VanValkenburg (6-foot-4, 270-pounds), is a Zeeland, Michigan, native, and earns his first career weekly honor. It is the second straight week a Hawkeye has earned their first career weekly award by the Big Ten (Charlie Jones vs. Northwestern).
VanValkenburg posted five total tackles (four solo), including a career-high three sacks for a loss of 15 yards. His three sacks are the most by a Hawkeye since A.J. Epenesa registered 4.5 sacks against Nebraska in 2019. VanValkenburg was a key cog in the Iowa defense that nearly posted a shutout against a Minnesota offense that entered the contest averaging 36.3 points per game.
VanValkenburg is second in the Big Ten in sacks per game (0.88) and seventh in the conference in tackles for loss per game (1.3).

Iowa (2-2, 2-2) will play at Penn State (0-4, 0-4) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.

FRYFOGLE NAMED B1G OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Credit Source: Indiana University Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana senior wide receiver Ty Fryfogle collected Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week accolades, the conference announced on Monday morning. Safety Jamar Johnson (Penn State) and kicker Charles Campbell (Rutgers) previously earned conference honors this season.

Fryfogle set career-highs with 11 receptions (2nd-most in the Big Ten in 2020) for 200 yards (most), the seventh 200-yard game in program history, and reached the end zone twice, including a career-long 65-yarder. His 178 first-half yards marked the most by a Big Ten player (Roy Roundtree, Michigan) since 2010.

The Lucedale, Miss., native has caught at least one TD in three-straight contests and has surpassed the century mark in back-to-back weeks (3 times in his career). Fryfogle leads the team with 24 catches (tied, T-3rd in the Big Ten) for 424 yards (1st), four touchdowns (T-2nd), 17.7 yards per grab and 106.0 yards per game (3rd, T-20th nationally).

He owns 99 receptions (T-7th among active Big Ten wideouts), 1,422 yards (5th) and 10 touchdowns, which is tied with Whop Philyor for the team lead, in his career.

IU sits in the Top 10 in both national polls for the second-straight week and is ranked for the fourth-consecutive week, coming in at No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 and at No. 10 in the Amway Coaches Poll presented by USA Today Sports. The Hoosiers current ranking is their best in the AP Poll since Nov. 27, 1967 (No. 4). Indiana was last ranked in the Top 10 in back-to-back weeks in 1967 (Nov. 6, Nov. 13) and this is its 17th Top-10 rating.

Up next, Fryfogle and IU head to Columbus to face the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes in the first regular-season Top-10 showdown in program history and just the second overall (1968 Rose Bowl, No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 1 Southern Cal). Kickoff is at noon EDT and the game will air on FOX.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply