Big Ten Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week

by | Nov 16, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Following Big Ten football games on Nov. 13-14, the Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week and Freshman of the Week in the Big Ten were announced this morning. Below are this week’s honorees:

Offensive Player of the Week
Ty Fryfogle, Indiana
Sr., WR, Lucedale, Miss./George County

  • Recorded personal bests in receptions (11), receiving yards (200) and touchdowns (two) to lead the Hoosiers to a victory at Michigan State
  • His 178 first-half receiving yards marked the most by a Big Ten player since 2010
  • Became the seventh receiver in program history to snag 200-plus yards receiving in a single game and the first since Ricky Jones in 2106
  • Collects his first career Offensive Player of the Week award
  • Last Indiana Offensive Player of the Week: Stevie Scot III (Nov. 4, 2019)

Defensive Player of the Week
Zach VanValkenburg, Iowa
Sr., DE, Zeeland, Mich./Hillsdale College

  • Recorded a career-high three sacks at Minnesota, the most by a Hawkeye since A.J. Epenesa in 2019
  • Tallied five tackles in the contest, including four solo stops
  • Anchored a defense that held the Gophers to seven points, nearly 30 points fewer than their average
  • Claims his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor
  • Last Iowa Defensive Player of the Week: A.J. Epenesa (Dec. 2, 2019)

Special Teams Player of the Week
James McCourt, Illinois
Sr., K, Parkland, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas

  • Converted a 47-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lead Illinois to a 23-20 victory at Rutgers
  • Finished the contest with three successful field goals, all in the second half
  • Added a pair of extra points to tally with a career-high 11 points
  • Earns his first career Special Teams Player of the Week honor
  • Last Illinois Special Teams Player of the Week: Blake Hayes (Sept. 23, 2019)

Freshman of the Week
Isaiah Williams, Illinois
QB, St. Louis, Mo./Trinity Catholic

  • Broke the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 192 yards on 31 attempts
  • Led Illinois to a comeback win at Rutgers in his first career start
  • Added 104 passing yards to finish the contest with 296 yards of total offense
  • Collects his first career Freshman of the Week award
  • Last Illinois Freshman of the Week: Patrick Nelson (Oct. 17, 2016)