Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon and Penn State Earn Weekly Football Honors

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Following Week 7 contests, the Big Ten Conference Football Players of the Week Presented by IFS.ai were announced Monday. Below are this week’s honorees: 

Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

QB – Sr. – Mililani, Hawaii – Mililani

• Led Oregon to a historic win over No. 2 Ohio State, completing 23-of-34 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns while adding 32 rushing yards and a touchdown
• Marked his second 300-yard passing game this season (25th career) and has multiple touchdown passes in all six games as a Duck
• Ran for a 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Ducks a 29-28 lead, his fourth game this season with both a rushing and a passing touchdown
• Last Oregon Offensive Player of the Week: Tez Johnson (Sept. 30, 2024)

Tyler Warren, Penn State

 TE – Sr. – Mechanicsville, Va. – Atlee

• Set a Penn State and Big Ten tight end record with 224 receiving yards on 17 catches in the Nittany Lions’ 33-30 overtime victory against USC
• Joins Northwestern’s Jon Harvey (208 yards vs. Michigan, 1982) as the only Big Ten tight ends to ever go over 200 receiving yards in a game and his 17 receptions are tied with Harvey for fourth-most in a game by a Big Ten player
• Becomes the first FBS tight end to go over 200 receiving yards in a game since Utah’s Dalton Kincaid had 234 receiving yards against USC on Oct. 15, 2022
• Hauled in a 32-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, his 15th career receiving touchdown
• Last Penn State Offensive Player of the Week: Drew Allar (Sept. 5, 2023)

Co-Defensive Players of the Week

Aaron Graves, Iowa

DL – Jr. – Dayton, Iowa – Southeast Valley

• Had two sacks and forced two fumbles in Iowa's 40-16 victory over Washington, giving head coach Kirk Ferentz his 200th career victory
• Finished with five tackles (two solo, three assists) and had a pass breakup in the win
• Marked his second game this season with two or more sacks
• Last Iowa Defensive Player of the Week: Nick Jackson (Oct. 2, 2023)

Koi Perich, Minnesota

DB – Fr. – Esko, Minn. – Esko

• Recorded a pair of tackles and his team-leading third and fourth interceptions of the season in Minnesota's 21-17 win at UCLA
• His first interception led directly to a Minnesota touchdown, which gave the Gophers a 14-10 lead in the third quarter, while his second interception came on the final play of the game - a UCLA Hail Mary attempt - and preserved the win for Minnesota
• His four picks are the most ever by a Gopher freshman, topping the three by Kyle Theret in 2007 and by Crawford Jordan in 1994
• Last Minnesota Defensive Player of the Week: Tyler Nubin (Oct. 23, 2023)

Special Teams Player of the Week

Luke Akers, Northwestern

K/P – Jr. – Nashville, Tenn. – Ravenwood

• Served as the placekicker, punter and kickoff specialist for the first time in his career in Northwestern’s 37-10 win at Maryland, going 3-for-3 on FGs and 4-for-4 on PATs, while also punting five times for an average of 49.2 yards per punt
• Converted his first career field goal attempt in the second quarter on a 43-yarder and punted five times for a total of 246 yards (with a long of 58 yards, while placing two inside the 20
• Pinned the Terrapins to the one-yard line on a 56-yard punt in the third quarter before recording a 58-yard punt downed at the Maryland 15-yard line in the fourth
• Last Northwestern Special Teams Players of the Week: Luke Akers (Aug. 29, 2022)

Freshman of the Week

Ryan Barker, Penn State

K – Landenberg, Pa. – Kennett

• Drilled four field goals, including a game-winning 36-yard field goal in overtime, Penn State’s first overtime game-winning field goal since the Nittany Lions took down Wisconsin on a Sam Ficken walk-off in 2012
• Became the first Penn State kicker to connect on four field goals in a game since Tyler Davis in 2016
• He also went 3-for 3 on extra-point attempts to improve to 8-of-8 on the season
• Last Penn State Freshman of the Week: Kaytron Allen (Nov. 20, 2022)

2024 Big Ten Football Players of the Week (presented by IFS.ai)

Sept. 2

O: Miller Moss, R-Jr., QB, USC

D: Kevin Winston Jr., Jr., S, PSU

ST: Mateen Bhaghani, So., K, UCLA

ST: Dominic Zvada, Jr., K, MICH

F: Dylan Raiola, Fr., QB, NEB

Sept. 9

O: Kyle Monangai, Sr., RB, RU

D: Xavier Scott, Jr., DB, ILL

ST: Tez Johnson, Sr., WR, ORE

F: Nick Marsh, Fr., WR, MSU

Sept. 16

O: Kurtis Rourke, Sr., QB, IND

D: Dante Trader Jr., Sr., DB, MD

ST: Atticus Sappington, Jr., K, ORE

F: Kerry Brown, R-Fr., DB, MINN

Sept. 23

O: Kaleb Johnson, Jr., RB, IOWA

O: Luke Altmyer, Jr., QB, ILL

D: Josaiah Stewart, Sr., EDGE, MICH

ST: Tommy Doman, Sr., P, MICH

F: Khmori House, Fr., ILB, WASH

Sept. 30

O: Kalel Mullings, Sr., RB, MICH

O: Tez Johnson, Sr., WR, ORE

D: Abdul Carter, Jr., DE/LB, PSU

ST: Dominic Zvada, Jr., K, MICH

F: Jeremiah Smith, Fr., WR, OSU

Oct. 7

O: Kurtis Rourke, Sr., QB, IND

O: Emeka Egbuka, Gr., WR, OSU

D: Jordan Burch, Sr., DE, ORE

ST: Brian Buschini, Sr., P, NEB

F: Trech Kekahuna, WR, WIS

Oct. 14

O: Dillon Gabriel, Sr., QB, ORE

O: Tyler Warren, Sr., TE, PSU

D: Aaron Graves, Jr., DL, IOWA

D: Koi Perich, Fr., DB, MINN

ST: Luke Akers, Jr., K/P, NU

F: Ryan Barker, K, PSU