Daniels earns player of the week honors

IOWA CITY, IA - University of Iowa junior defensive tackle Mike Daniels has been named Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week following Iowa's 45-0 win over Ball State last Saturday. The announcement came today from the Big Ten office.

Daniels, 6-1. 275-pounder from Blackwood, NJ (Highland Regional HS) recorded career-bests in tackles and tackles for loss in the win over Ball State. It's the first Player of the Week honor for Daniels. He shared this week's defensive honor with Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones.

Daniels had four solo tackles and two assists, including four tackles for loss (-20) and one QB sack (-7). Through four games, Daniels ranks second in the Big Ten and 13th nationally in tackles for loss with 7.5 tackles for a negative 43 yards.

The Hawkeye defense held Ball State to just 112 yards total offense (56 rushing, 56 passing) as nine of 12 Ball State possessions were five plays or less.

Daniels is the second Iowa player to gain league Player of the Week honors this year. Hawkeye senior RB Paki O'Meara was recognized with the special teams honor following Iowa's opening win over Eastern Illinois.

Iowa had eight players named Big Ten Players of the Week last year (four on defense, one offense and three special team winners).

Here is the full list of honorees from the Big Ten Conference.

OFFENSE:

Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

JR, QB, Jeannette, Pa./Jeannette

Pryor accounted for six touchdowns to help lead Ohio State to 73 points against Eastern Michigan, the most points for the Buckeyes since 1950. The junior quarterback completed 20 of 26 passes (76.9 percent) for 224 yards and four touchdowns, rushed seven times for 104 yards (14.9 yards per carry) and another touchdown and also hauled in a 20-yard scoring toss. He matched a career high with four scoring strikes and all four went to wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, just the second time in school history two Buckeyes have hooked up on four scoring tosses in a single game. Ohio State's 73 points rank ninth in school annals and are the most for the Buckeyes since tallying 83 points against Iowa in 1950. Pryor earns his first weekly offensive accolade.

LAST OSU OFFENSIVE POW: RB Chris "Beanie" Wells on Nov. 10, 2008.

CO-DEFENSE:

Mike Daniels, Iowa

JR, DT, Blackwood, N.J./Highland Regional

Daniels recorded four tackles for loss, including a seven-yard sack, to help Iowa blank Ball State in a 45-0 victory. The junior defensive tackle collected six tackles on the day, and his four tackles for loss pushed the offense back 20 yards. He was part of a defense that collected two takeaways and allowed only 56 passing yards, the second-fewest yards through the air allowed in 11-plus years under head coach Kirk Ferentz. The New Jersey native collects weekly laurels for the first time in his career.

LAST IOWA DEFENSIVE POW: LB Troy Johnson on Nov. 22, 2009.

Greg Jones, Michigan State

SR, LB, Cincinnati, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller

Jones recorded the first two interceptions of his career and added a forced fumble to help Michigan State sprint to a 42-0 lead over Northern Colorado after three quarters. The senior linebacker recorded four tackles to move into fifth place in school history with 392 career defensive stops. Both of Jones' picks led to touchdowns, as he returned his first interception 34 yards to set up MSU's first score. He picked off his second pass in the second quarter to set up another touchdown, giving the Spartans a 28-0 lead. The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year earns his first player of the week honor.

LAST MSU DEFENSIVE POW: DE Jonal Saint-Dic on Sept. 17, 2007.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Collin Wagner, Penn State

SR, K, State College, Pa./State College Area

Wagner set a career high and matched a school record with five field goals and added an extra point to tally 16 points in a 22-13 victory over previously undefeated Temple. The senior kicker became the fourth Nittany Lion to make five field goals in a game and the first since Travis Forney accomplished the feat against Michigan State in 1998. Wagner's five field goals also match the second-highest single-game effort in Big Ten history. The Pennsylvania native connected on field goals of 45, 42, 32, 32 and 21 yards, the latter of which gave PSU a lead it would not relinquish at 15-13. Wagner nabs weekly accolades for the first time in his career.

LAST PSU SPECIAL TEAMS POW: P Jeremy Boone on Oct. 4, 2009.

FRESHMAN:

James White, Wisconsin

FR, RB, Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas

White matched a school freshman record with four rushing touchdowns and averaged 13.2 yards per carry in a victory over Austin Peay. The freshman running back broke loose for a career-high 145 yards on just 11 carries and added a 12-yard reception and 43 yards on two kickoff returns to amass 200 all-purpose yards in the game. He joins former Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne as the only other Wisconsin freshman to tally four rushing touchdowns in a single game.

LAST WIS FRESHMAN OF WEEK: NA.