Big Ten Roundup (Oct. 10): Purdue Safety Dillon Thieneman Named B1G Freshman of the Week
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Purdue football has always been better know for its offense, but it might have a real star on the defensive side of the ball in Dillon Thieneman.
For the second time this season, the Boilermakers' true freshman safety has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Purdue lost its Week 6 matchup vs Iowa 20-14, but Thieneman showed out, recording an interception and eight tackles on the day.
Additionally, Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. and Josh Proctor were named the Big Ten Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, while Iowa punter Tory Taylor was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.
Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:
Dillon Thienman, Big Ten Freshman of the Week
UTEP's Tyrice Knight leads the country with 53 solo tackles during the 2023 season. He's a senior linebacker, and that level of production, while not expected, makes sense.
What doesn't make sense is a three-star, true freshman safety at Purdue being second in the country solo tackles. But with the 41 that Thieneman has racked up in six games for the 2023 Boilermakers, that's exactly what has happened.
As the team's above post mentioned, Thieneman recorded his third interception on Sunday as well, which is tied for the second-most by any one player in the Big Ten.
Every stat one might look at — raw or advanced — screams the same thing: Dillon Thieneman is an awesome football player. The true freshman safety might even be threatening for All-Big Ten first team status at this point with how well he's playing.
In what's been a dismal 2-4 season for Purdue thus far, Thieneman and his performance has undoubtedly been their silver lining.
As for the other Big Ten Players of the Week, here is what they did last Saturday:
- Marvin Harrison Jr. — Eight catches, 163 yards and a touchdown.
- Josh Proctor — A pick-six and seven tackles, and his defensive touchdown brought Ohio State back to life after the Buckeyes trailed Maryland 10-0 early.
- Tory Taylor — Averaged 47.3 yards per punt and had a career-best 61-yard punt in an extremely Iowa win.
Related Stories on Big Ten:
- DYLAN HARPER RECRUITING UPDATE: 2024 five-star prospect Dylan Harper told a reporter on Saturday that he is planning to take an official visit to Rutgers next weekend, while coach Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini hosted a visit for a prospect in the class of 2025 — Phoenix Gill — who is the son of Illinois basketball legend Kendall Gill. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS, WEEK 6: Here's where all 14 Big Ten football teams stand in the HoosiersNow.com conference power rankings following Week 6 of the 2023 college football season. CLICK HERE
- WEEK 6 SATURDAY B1G GAME RESULTS: Nine Big Ten football teams played games on Saturday during Week 6 of the college football season. From Ohio State's comeback win over Maryland, to Purdue nearly stealing one from Iowa in Kinnick, it was another entertaining day of Big Ten football. CLICK HERE