Big Ten Roundup (Sept. 6): Illinois, Purdue and Minnesota Football Players Earn Week 1 Big Ten Honors

Illinois defensive back Miles Scott and Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin were named Big Ten Co-Defensive Players of the Week following Week 1 of the 2023 college football season. Likewise, Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman was named the Big Ten Freshman of the week and Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the week.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It makes sense that the two student-athletes to be named Co-Defensive Players of the Week in Big Ten were the two whose interceptions completely flipped what would otherwise be losses in their team's favor. 

I'm of course referencing Illinois's Miles Scott and Minnesota's Tyler Nubin, two standout defensive backs who walked away with Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors following Week 1 action. 

Likewise, the Big Ten's Special Teams Player of the Week also went to a Golden Gopher on coach P.J. Fleck's team. It was given to Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich as reward for his 47-yard, game-winning field goal against Nebraska as time expired, giving the Gophers a 13-10 win. 

Another defensive back was also honored in Purdue's Dillon Thieneman, who was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Oh, and some guy named Drew Allar on Penn State also won Offensive Player of the Week in the conference. 

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:

Scott, Nubin Win Co-Defensive Players of the Week 

It's very difficult to say that any two players had any more impact on the outcome of a game than Scott and Nubin.

For Illinois, Scott's pick-six midway through the third quarter picked Illinois back up off the mat when it looked headed to a season-opening defeat. Coach Bret Bielema's team was trailing 19-7 to Toledo, and reeling after quarterback Luke Altmyer had thrown an interception in opposing territory. But Scott turned out to be the man of the hour, breaking on the throw of Rockets' quarterback DeQuan Finn just two plays later, and housing it on a 47-yard return. 

In addition to his momentum-turning pick-six, Scott also finished with six tackles, the third most on the Illinois team. 

As for Minnesota safety Nubin, he entered Thursday night's game against Nebraska with a solid reputation to his name. He was named a second team All-Big Ten safety in 2022, and returned to Minneapolis in 2023 as one of the team's most decorated players. 

He backed that up against coach Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers, intercepting not one, but two passes from quarterback Jeff Sims in Minnesota's 13-10 come-from-behind win. His second pick was the true dagger in Nebraska's heart, as Minnesota had just recently tied the game at 10 in the waning moments. It looked like Sims might lead the Huskers on a game-winning field goal drive in response, but instead, Nubin picked off the former Georgia Tech quarterback, and set up a game-winning field goal drive for his own offense.  

No one does it quite like Nebraska pic.twitter.com/P9Fu1Hcoki

— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) September 1, 2023

Speaking of that game-winning field goal ... 

Kesich Named Special Teams Player of the Week

Even though Indiana punter James Evans might have been more deserving of this distinction, it's understandable why it went to Kesich. 

The kicker from Oak Creek, Wis., went 2-for-3 on kicks against Nebraska, and was responsible for the lone walk-off win of the week in the Big Ten with his 47-yard field goal. 

Plus, when you have a name as cool as Dragan Kesich, you should probably just be handed awards on the regular. 

Thieneman Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Alongside the hyper-explosive playmaker that is Deion Burks, Thieneman might have been the lone bright spot from Purdue's first week of action. 

The Boilermakers lost 39-35 to Fresno State at home in the first game of coach Ryan Walters' tenure. Aside from Northwestern nearly getting blanked by Rutgers, it was the worst loss any Big Ten squad took in Week 1, even though Fresno State is a rather quality Group of 5 team. 

However, that shouldn't take away from what Purdue's Dillon Thieneman accomplished on Saturday. As a true freshman, he finished with a team-high 10 tackles (all of which were solo tackles) and a fourth quarter interception that did lead to Purdue taking the lead late in the game before ultimately surrendering it. 

DILLON THIENEMAN INTERCEPTS IT 👀 pic.twitter.com/gDC5uumaLo

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 2, 2023

Enough can't be said about how impressive the three-star safety from Westlake, Ind., looked in his first ever college football game. He's one of just nine players in the country to record 10 or more solo tackles in Week 1. He's the first true freshman since Purdue linebacker Navon Mosley in 2016 to record 10 or more tackles in a game. He's even just the third Purdue Boilermaker to ever record an interception in his debut. 

It could be a long rebuilding year in West Lafayette for coach Walters' team, but at the very least, Purdue fans can be happy knowing they have a freshman stud in Thieneman. 

And oh yeah, that quarterback Allar for Penn State threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in his first start and won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. Good for him. 

Related Stories:

• WEEK 1 BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS: With week 1 of the 2023 college football season in the books, our Daniel Olinger ranked all 14 football teams in the Big Ten on where they currently stand in the conference. CLICK HERE
• WOULD B1G EVER KICK A TEAM OUT OF CONFERENCE: With Stanford, Cal and SMU joining the ACC in 2024, conference realignment has truly gotten out of hand. With all the movement up into new conferences coming, we ask the question — would the Big Ten ever forcibly remove a team from its own conference? CLICK HERE