Around The Big Ten – November 12

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FOOTBALL

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Following Week 11 contests, the Big Ten Conference Football Players of the Week Presented by IFS.ai were announced Monday. Below are this week’s honorees:

Offensive Players of the Week

Emmett Johnson, Nebraska

RB – Jr. – Minneapolis, Minn. – Academy of Holy Angels

• Accounted for a career-high 232 yards from scrimmage in Nebraska’s 28-21 victory at the Rose Bowl
• Recorded 129 rushing yards and a career-high 103 receiving yards on three receptions to become the first Husker running back in school history to surpass 100 rushing and 100 receiving yards in the same game
• Johnson became the first player in the Big Ten in at least 30 years to have more than 125 rushing yards, more than 100 receiving yards, a rushing touchdown and two receiving touchdowns in the same game
• Scored a career-high tying three total touchdowns in the victory, improving his season total to 14, the most by a Husker player since 2014
• Last Nebraska Offensive Player of the Week: Anthony Grant (Sept. 5, 2022)

Defensive Player of the Week

Cooper Catalano, Wisconsin

LB – Fr. – Richfield, Wis. – Germantown

• Posted 19 tackles (11 solo) and one sack in Wisconsin’s win over No. 23 Washington
• Became the first Big Ten player to have 19 tackles and a sack in a game since Blake Cashman (Minnesota) in 2018 and the first Badger since at least 1995 to hit those marks in a game
• Had the most tackles for a Big Ten player in a win since 2022 (Cal Haladay, MSU), helping the Badger defense hold the Washington offense to its lowest passing output of the season (134 yards)
• Catalano also had the most tackles for a freshman nationally since 2022 (AJ Haulcy, New Mexico, 24 tackles), the most tackles for an A4 freshman since 2017 (Paddy Fischer, Northwestern, 19 tackles) and the most tackles for a A4 freshman in regulation since 2013
• Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week honoree: Preston Zachman (Sept. 1, 2025)

Special Teams Player of the Week

Atticus Sappington, Oregon

K – Sr. – Portland, Ore. – Central Catholic

• Made a game-winning, 39-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give Oregon an 18-16 win in a top-20 showdown at Iowa
• Matched career high by going 3-for-3 on field goals, also making from 46 yards and 40 yards earlier in the game
• First game this season with three made field goals and his second game-winning field goal as a Duck
• Last Oregon Special Teams Player of the Week: Atticus Sappington (Nov. 18, 2024)

Co-Freshmen of the Week

TJ Lateef, Nebraska

QB – Compton, Calif. – Orange Lutheran

• Became the fifth true freshman to start at quarterback since 1950 and engineered a Husker victory over UCLA in his hometown
• Completed 13-of-15 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns, including completing his first 11 passes of the game, and rushed five times for 31 yards
• Guided an efficient Nebraska offense that scored on its first four possessions of the game to take a 28-7 lead midway through the third quarter en route to the victory
• Lateef is believed to be the first true freshman in FBS since at least 1995 to have a game with a minimum of 15 passing attempts and less than two incompletions, 200+yards passing, three or more passing touchdowns and 30 or more rushing yards
• Last Nebraska Freshman of the Week: Jacory  Barney  Jr. (Nov. 24, 2024)

Mason Posa, Wisconsin

LB – Albuquerque, N.M. – La Cueva

• Made 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks and forced and recovered the same fumble in Wisconsin’s win over No. 23 Washington
• Posa’s strip-sack and recovery set up the Badgers’ game-tying touchdown in the third quarter, giving the Badgers the ball at the Washington seven-yard line
• Finished the game with a game-sealing sack on fourth down during the Huskies’ attempt to drive down the field to tie or win the game.
• He’s the first freshman to have 10+ tackles, 2.0+ sacks and force and recover a fumble since 2014 (Jamal Stadom, Troy)
• Last Wisconsin Freshman of the Week: Trech  Kekahuna (Oct. 7, 2024)

MEN’S SOCCER

The University of Maryland clinched the 2025 Big Ten Men’s Soccer championship with a 4-3 win at Michigan State in Friday’s regular season finale. With the victory, the Terrapins will claim the top seed in this week’s Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament. Maryland will also host the four-team tournament at Ludwig Field beginning on Wednesday.

The No. 1-ranked Terrapins improved to 12-0-3 on the season and 8-0-2 in Big Ten play to secure their fourth Big Ten title and first since 2022. Sadam Masereka powered the Maryland attack netting three goals in a span of 11:17 midway through the first half. Back-to-back Michigan State goals pulled the Spartans to within 3-2 but Masereka found Stephane Njike for an insurance goal in the 83rd minute.

With the conclusions of all regular season matches, the field for the 2025 Big Ten Men’s soccer Tournament is now set. The four-team tournament is set to begin with a pair of semifinal matches on Wednesday, with the championship tilt set for Sunday afternoon.

No. 2 seed Washington (7-3) will face No. 3 seed Michigan (6-2-2) in the first semifinal match at 4 p.m. Wednesday’s semifinal nightcap will feature top seed Maryland facing No. 4 seed UCLA (5-3-2) at 7 p.m.

Wednesday’s winners will meet in Sunday’s championship match, scheduled for 3 p.m., with the champion earning the Big Ten’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The Big Ten Conference will have nine institutions participating in the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship, the organization announced Monday. Nine of the 10 teams that qualified for this year’s Big Ten Tournament will play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, including Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, Washington and Wisconsin.

Six Big Ten programs earned top eight seeds in their respective quadrants of the bracket and will host first-round matches later this week.

For the first time in program history, Michigan State earned a No. 2 seed and will host Milwaukee on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. ET. The outing will be a rematch from early in the regular season when the Spartans defeated the Panthers, 9-0. Michigan State is making its eighth overall and fourth consecutive appearance.

Washington, who won the Big Ten’s regular-season title and the 2025 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament presented by Allstate, secured a No. 4 seed. The Huskies welcome Montana on Friday, Nov. 14 at 10 p.m. ET to open their 17th postseason berth.

Fourth-seeded Wisconsin will make its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance and eighth in the last nine years when it hosts Western Michigan on Friday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. ET.

UCLA also earned a No. 4 seed and will host Pepperdine on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. ET. The Bruins are headed back to the national tournament for the 10th straight season and 29th time overall.

No. 5 seed Iowa is set to host South Dakota State in a first-round matchup on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. ET. The Hawkeyes are on their sixth overall and third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, a program record.

Penn State secured the No. 8 seed and welcomes Army at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 15. It will be the Nittany Lions’ 31st straight appearance, the second-longest NCAA Tournament streak in the nation. Penn State is just one of 11 programs all-time with a national championship (2015) and one of only six programs in the 2025 field of contenders. The Nittany Lions’ national championship in 2015 is the last time a program won its first-ever title as it has only been repeat winners in the years since.

For the first time since 2013, Illinois is back in the NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Illini are set to visit No. 7-seed Memphis on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. ET as they embark on their 13th appearance.

Northwestern is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history. The Wildcats will travel to No. 8-seed Alabama for a 7 p.m. ET outing on Friday, Nov. 14.

For the 15th time in the last 17 years, Ohio State will be competing in the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes are headed to challenge No. 8-seed Georgia on Friday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. ET.

All preliminary rounds will stream live on ESPN+.

The 44th annual NCAA Women’s College Cup will be played on Friday, Dec. 5 and Monday, Dec. 8 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The first national semifinal will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the second semifinal beginning at approximately 8:45 p.m. ET. The national championship match will take place at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.