BiG Ten News

Co-Offensive Players of the Week
Nate Stanley, Iowa
Jr., QB, Menomonie, Wis./Menomonie
•              Threw for six touchdown passes against Indiana, tying for the second most in school history
•              Went 21 of 33 for 320 yards in the contest, while recording his fourth-straight multi-touchdown game through the air
•              Has thrown 14 touchdown passes in his last four games, tying Chuck Long in 1985 for the most touchdown tosses over four games in program history
•              Earns his second career Offensive Player of the Week award and first this season
•              Last Iowa Offensive Player of the Week: Akrum Wadley (Nov. 27, 2017)

Flynn Nagel, Northwestern
Sr., WR, Lemont, Ill./Lemont
•              Caught 12 passes for 220 yards against Nebraska, marking the most receiving yards by a Big Ten player since 2013, and the most by a Wildcat since 1980
•              Registered two touchdown catches in the contest while setting career highs in catches and yards
•              Has 622 receiving yards through six games this season, the most by a Northwestern player through six games since at least 2000
•              Claims his first career Offensive Player of the Week award
•              Last Northwestern Offensive Player of the Week: Justin Jackson (Oct. 17, 2016)

Defensive Player of the Week
Khari Willis, Michigan State
Sr., S, Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi
•              Led the Spartans with a season-high nine tackles, including seven solo stops, in the team’s victory at Penn State
•              Forced a fumble on Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley in the first quarter and also recorded a pass break-up
•              Helped the Spartans hold Penn State to season lows in points (17) and first downs (14)
•              Receives his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor
•              Last Michigan State Defensive Player of the Week: Joe Bachie (Oct. 23, 2017)

Special Teams Player of the Week
Drew Luckenbaugh, Northwestern
So., K, Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove
•              Kicked his first two career field goals against Nebraska, including a 37-yard game-winner in overtime
•              Recorded his first career field goal with 2:27 remaining in the fourth quarter to pull the Wildcats within seven points
•              Went 4-for-4 on extra points in the contest
•              Earns his first career Special Teams Player of the Week honor
•              Last Northwestern Special Teams Player of the Week: Hunter Niswander (Nov. 27, 2017)

Freshman of the Week
Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
Fr., RB, Olney, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel
•              Rushed for 157 yards at Ohio State, the most rushing yards by a freshman running back against the Buckeyes since Penn State’s Saquon Barkley in 2015
•              Scored the first two touchdowns of his career in the first half of the contest
•              Averaged 6.8 yards per carry against Ohio State and now has rushed for 415 yards on 71 carries this season
•              Records his first Freshman of the Week award

 

 

IU Football Game Notes Attached

 

Setting The Scene

• Indiana (4-3, 1-3 B1G East) wraps up its two-game homestand against No. 18/16 Penn State (4-2, 1-2 B1G East) on Saturday, Oct. 20. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EDT at Memorial Stadium (52,656; FieldTurf) on ABC.
• IU will celebrate the 1986 All-American Bowl, the 1988 Peach Bowl and the 1988 Liberty Bowl teams coached by the late Bill Mallory this weekend. The Hoosiers defeated South Carolina in the Liberty Bowl, 34-10, for Mallory’s first bowl victory.
• Defensive tackle Shamar Jones (Johnstown) is the lone Hoosier from Pennsylvania.
• The Hoosiers staff and players will “go pink” in support of breast cancer awareness.

 

The Coaches

• Tom Allen was named Indiana’s head coach on Dec. 1, 2016, and made his debut at the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl. The New Castle, Ind., native joined IU as associate head coach/defense on Jan. 15, 2016. Over his first two years, the Hoosiers were the most improved nationally in total defense and passing defense, the sixth-most improved in third down defense and the ninth-most improved in points per game allowed.
• James Franklin is 40-19 (.678) in his fifth season at Penn State. Franklin served as Vanderbilt head coach (2011-13) and carries an overall record of 64-34 (.653).

 

News & Notes

• Indiana leads the Big Ten and shares 11th nationally with 14 takeaways.
• The Hoosiers share fourth in the conference and 18th in the country with eight interceptions and share second in the league and 24th in the nation with six fumble recoveries.
• They have a takeaway in each of the seven games and an INT in six contests.
• Freshmen have had a hand in 11 of the 14 takeaways, including the last seven.
• Eight different defenders have forced a fumble, eight have an interception and six have a fumble recovery.
• IU has 12 10-plus play scoring drives (7 TDs, 5 FGs) this year, which shares fifth nationally.
• Peyton Ramsey is second in the Big Ten in completions (172, 5th nationally) and total yardage (1813, 19th), 3rd in passing TDs (12, T-26th), and fourth in completion percentage (68.0, 17th) and pass yardage (1624, T-27th).
• Seven Hoosiers own 18-or-more receptions with six of the seven over 170 yards.
• Stevie Scott is second amongst true freshmen backs nationally in yardage (557) and carries (115).
• Indiana has played 38 underclassmen in 2018, tied for the eighth-most in the country.
• Thirteen true freshman have seen action this year and 25 have overall in Tom Allen’s tenure.
• IU is the 19th youngest team in the country and the fourth youngest in the Big Ten. Seventy-seven of the 116 (66.4 percent) Hoosiers are underclassmen (55 freshmen – 31 true, 22 sophomores).

No. 18/16 Penn State returns to the road to take on Indiana Saturday afternoon starting at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

 

Penn State looks to return to its winning ways after its second close loss of the season. The Nittany Lions are 24-5 in their last 29 games dating back to 2016, with none of the five losses being decided by more than four points.

 

Penn State has won 20 of 21 all-time meetings against the Hoosiers, and the two teams have met annually for the past 12 years. The Lions rallied past Indiana in their last trip to Bloomington in 2016, erasing a 10-point third-quarter deficit with a 31-7 scoring run. Quarterback Trace McSorley has thrown for more than 300 yards in each of his previous two games against Indiana.

 

McSorley, now Penn State’s career passing yards leader, leads an offense that ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (44.2) and third in total yards (491.2). McSorley and running back Miles Sanders have led a particularly strong running game this season that is averaging 251.8 yards per game, which ranks second in the Big Ten and 12th nationally. Sanders is averaging 116.7 yards rushing per game and 6.73 yards rushing per carry to rank second in the Big Ten in both categories.

 

The Penn State defense continues to get stops in the backfield, leading the Big Ten and ranking ninth in FBS with 8.5 tackles for loss per game. Its 21.0 points allowed per game ranks fifth in the Big Ten.

Indiana looks to get back on track after taking losses in three of its last four games, including defeats to Michigan State and Ohio State. Quarterback Peyton Ramsey leads a pass-heavy offense, ranking 10th in FBS with 24.6 completions per game, while J-Shun Harris II is the Big Ten’s leading punt returner (12.5 ypr).

 

 

 

Conference action continues this week, with seven Big Ten contests highlighted by four divisional matchups. Action kicks off on Saturday at noon ET when Maryland travels to Iowa, Michigan State welcomes Michigan, Northwestern heads to Rutgers and Wisconsin plays host to Illinois …

• Two Big Ten programs rank among the top 25 nationally in both scoring offense and defense (Michigan and Ohio State). The Wolverines rank ninth in scoring defense and are 23rd in scoring offense, while the Buckeyes are sixth in scoring offense and 24th in scoring defense …

• The Big Ten features three programs that rank among the top seven nationally in scoring margin. Ohio State leads the conference and ranks second nationally, outscoring its opponents by an average of 38.4 points per contest. Penn State follows in sixth nationally at +23.2 points per game, while Michigan is seventh at +22.7 points per contest …

• Ohio State is one of eight remaining undefeated schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). At 7-0 on the season, the Buckeyes have won 12 straight games, which is the second-longest active streak in the nation, and 21 straight Big Ten home games against unranked teams, which is the third-longest streak in the last 40 years …

• Iowa’s Nate Stanley threw for six touchdown passes against Indiana, tying for the second most in school history. The junior went 21 of 33 for 320 yards in the contest, while recording his fourth-straight multi-touchdown game through the air. Stanley has thrown 14 touchdown passes in his last four games, tying Chuck Long in 1985 for the most touchdown tosses over four games in program history. The Hawkeye currently ranks 16th nationally in passing TDs with 15 …

• Michigan running back Karan Higdon went over 100 yards rushing for the fifth straight game, which is tied with Denard Robinson in 2010 for the most by a Michigan player this decade and is the most by a Michigan running back since Mike Hart had eight in 2007. Higdon has 10 career 100-yard rushing games and Michigan is undefeated when he reaches 100 yards in a contest …

• Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley became the school’s all-time leader in career passing yards on Saturday against Michigan State. The senior finished the day with 192 passing yards to increase his career total to 8,610 yards, surpassing Christian Hackenberg’s previous program standard of 8,457 yards …

• Michigan became the second Big Ten school to secure a bowl berth, while Iowa can do likewise with a victory this weekend. The Big Ten will continue to feature the largest bowl lineup in conference history …

 

 

STANLEY NAMED WALTER CAMP PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 

IOWA CITY, Iowa – – University of Iowa junior quarterback Nate Stanley has been named the Walter Camp Football Foundation national Offensive Player of the Week following Iowa’s 42-16 win at Indiana. The award is sponsored by Generation UCAN and was announcement Sunday by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

 

Stanley (6-foot-4, 242-pounds), is a native of Menomonie, Wisconsin (Menomonie High School). He completed 21-of 33 pass attempts against Indiana for 320 yards and six touchdowns.  The scoring strikes covered 9, 28, 12, 11, 54, and 4 yards, and included five different receivers.

 

The six touchdowns tie Chuck Long for the second most in single-game history at Iowa. Long twice threw six touchdowns in a game, while the school record is seven (Chuck Hartlieb versus Northwestern, 1987). Saturday marked Stanley’s 11th career multi-touchdown game, and his fourth straight. He has 14 touchdowns over the last four games, which ties for the most ever over a four-game stretch in school history (Long, 1985).

 

Stanley has four career 300-yard games, including three in his last four outings. Stanley has 41 career touchdown passes. He moved past Chuck Hartlieb (37) and C.J. Beathard (40) on Saturday to tie for No. 6 on Iowa’s all-time list with Matt Rodgers (41). Stanley has 3,972 career passing yards, 11th all-time. For the season he has completed 108-174 attempts for 1,473 yards and 15 touchdowns, with five interceptions.

 

Stanley is the fifth Hawkeye to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors, and the first since defensive back Josh Jackson was recognized following Iowa’s win over Ohio State in 2017. Stanley is Iowa’s first offensive player to earn the award.

 

The Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-1) host Maryland (4-2, 2-1) Saturday in Iowa’s annual Homecoming contest (11 a.m. CT, ESPN2).