Around The Big Ten – November 19

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FOOTBALL

Co-Offensive Players of the Week

Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

QB – Jr. – Miami, Fla. – Christopher Columbus

• Connected on 22-of-24 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns in the Hoosiers’ win against Wisconsin
• Led five total scoring drives, with four ending in passing scores and one in a field goal that gave IU a 10-3 lead entering halftime
• Engineered a nine-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half and give IU a 10-point lead it would not relinquish
• Helped Indiana win a program-record-tying 11th victory and finish the season undefeated at home and set an IU single-season mark for touchdown passes with his 30th of the season in the fourth quarter to Omar Cooper Jr.
• Last Indiana Offensive Player of the Week: Fernando Mendoza (Sept. 22, 2025)

Kaytron Allen, Penn State

RB – Sr. – Norfolk, Va. – IMG Academy

• Finished the game with a career-high 181 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per rush
• Allen was the first Nittany Lion to rush for 180+ yards since Journey Brown rushed for 202 yards against Memphis in the 2019 Cotton Bowl
• Scored on an eight-yard rush in the first quarter and added a 26-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter
• Allen now has 3,794 career rushing yards, trailing only Saquon Barkley (3,843; 2015-17) and Evan Royster (3,932; 2007-10) for the Penn State career rushing record
• Last Penn State Offensive Player of the Week: Tyler Warren (Nov. 18, 2024)

Defensive Player of the Week

Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State

DE – Sr. – Millsboro, Del. – McDonogh School

• Tallied two sacks for his ninth career game with multiple tackles for loss and fourth career game with multiple sacks in Penn State’s win against Michigan State
• He secured a solo sack in the third quarter
• Added a sack in the fourth quarter
• Owns 31 career tackles for loss and 21 career sacks
• Last Penn State Defensive Player of the Week honoree: Abdul Carter (Sept. 30, 2024)

Special Teams Player of the Week

Ryon Sayeri, USC

K – Fr. – West Hills, Calif. – Chaminade

• Kicked two field goals (40 and 28) and three PATs for a total of nine points in USC’s 26-21 victory over No. 21 Iowa in the rain
• Recorded six kickoffs for 388 yards (64.7 avg.) and three touchbacks
• He has the fifth-best field goal percentage in the nation with 94.4% accuracy going 17-of-18 and he’s second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage
• Sayeri is 6-of-6 in field goals versus ranked AP or CFP opponents, and he’s 6-of-6 over 40+ yards
• Last USC Special Teams Player of the Week honoree: Ryon Sayeri (Nov. 3, 2025)

Freshman of the Week

Andrew Marsh, Michigan

WR – Katy, Texas – Katy Jordan

• Recorded 12 catches and 189 yards, both of which are single-game records among Michigan freshmen (since at least 1979), in Michigan’s victory against Northwestern at Wrigley Field
• Eclipsed 100 receiving yards at 13:50 in the second quarter with a 32-yard catch down the sideline, marking Marsh’s second career 100-yard game (138 at USC)
• Marsh is the first U-M freshman wide receiver to record multiple 100-yard performances since 2009 (Roy Roundtree; redshirt freshman)
• Surpassed his career high in receptions (previous: eight) with nine catches in the first half alone
• Last Michigan Freshman of the Week: Bryce Underwood (Sept. 15, 2025)

MEN’S SOCCER

Five teams will represent the Big Ten in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament, the NCAA announced during Monday’s tournament selection show. Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, UCLA, and Washington will compete in the event, which is set to begin on Thursday, November 20.

Indiana and Michigan were listed among the 16 nationally seeded teams who earned a first-round bye and will host second round matches on Sunday.

Indiana will make its NCAA-record 39th consecutive tournament appearance and 50th overall, tied for second most in NCAA history. The Hoosiers will open play on Sunday at Noon ET, as they welcome the winner of Saint Louis and Kentucky to Bill Armstrong Stadium.

Maryland will make its 42nd NCAA Tournament appearance on Sunday, when it plays host to the winner of North Carolina and North Florida. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET at Maryland’s Ludwig Field.

Michigan earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and 10th time in program history. The Wolverines will face Notre Dame in Thursday’s opening round. Game time is slated for 6 p.m. ET at U-M Soccer Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Fresh off its first Big Ten Tournament title on Sunday, UCLA will look to extend its current five-match win streak on Thursday when it hosts WAC Tournament champion Grand Canyon. The Bruins will kickoff their 50th tournament appearance and fifth in a row under head coach Ryan Jorden at 10 p.m. ET at Wallis Annenberg Stadium in Los Angeles.

Washington will make its 30th all-time tournament appearance and 12th in the last 14 years on Thursday. The Huskies will travel to Corvallis, Ore. to face WCC runner-up Oregon State. The former Pac-12 rivals will meet at 9 p.m. ET.

The 48-team field is made up of automatic qualifiers from 22 conferences and 26 teams selected at-large. All first-round games will be played Thursday, Nov. 20, on campus sites, while all second-round action will take place Sunday, Nov. 23. The third round will be played Nov. 29 and 30, while the quarterfinals will be played Dec. 5 and 6.

The 2025 NCAA College Cup will include semifinal and championship matches are scheduled for Dec. 12 and 15, respectively, at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

VOLLEYBALL

Player of the Week 
Mimi Colyer, Wisconsin 
Sr. – OH – Lincoln, Calif. 

• Paced the Badger offense to back-to-back sweeps over Michigan State and Illinois, collecting 45 kills in six sets
• Tallied 21 kills against the Spartans and 24 against the Illini, her seventh and eighth match this season with 20 or more kills
• Averaged 7.50 kills per set, 7.92 points per set while hitting .356 over the course of the weekend
• Defensively, Colyer chipped in with 2.00 digs per set, .50 blocks per set and added a service ace
• Has now reached double-digit kill totals in every match but one this season
• Earns second consecutive and fourth Big Ten Player of the Week honor of 2025
  Last Wisconsin Player of the Week: Mimi Colyer (Nov. 10, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week 
Jordan Taylor, Minnesota 
Fr. – MB – Houston, Texas 

• Averaged 2.13 blocks, 1.00 kills and 2.13 points per set in Minnesota’s wins over No. 24 Penn State and Iowa this weekend
• Tallied six blocks (one solo) in a sweep over the Nittany Lions, adding five kills on .400 hitting
• Totaled a career-high 11 blocks with three kills (.333) at Iowa
• Last Minnesota Defensive Player of the Week: Phoebe Awoleye (Dec. 2, 2024)

Setter of the Week  
Charlie Fuerbringer, Wisconsin 
So. – S – Hermosa Beach, Calif. 

• Set the Badgers to a combined .337 hitting percentage in wins over Michigan State and Illinois
• In six sets, Fuerbringer averaged 14.00 assists per set, 2.17 digs per set and added 1.67 blocks per set
• Against the Spartans, Fuerbringer totaled 43 assists to lead Wisconsin to a .398 hitting percentage. The sophomore added five digs, four blocks and two service aces
• At Illinois, Fuerbringer cued the Badgers to .276 hitting with 41 assists, eight digs and a career-high matching six blocks
• Last Wisconsin Setter of the Week: Charlie Fuerbringer (Sept. 15, 2025)

Freshman of the Week 
Alanah Clemente, Oregon 
OPP – Santa Clarita, Calif. 

• Tallied a career-high 25 kills to help lead Oregon to a five-set road win over No. 9 Purdue
• Hit .340 against the Boilermakers and added seven digs, three blocks, three assists and two service aces in the win
• In the weakened opener at No. 18 Indiana, Clemente had 15 kills, eight digs and an ace in four sets
• For the week, averaged 4.94 points per set, 4.44 kills per set and 1.67 digs per set
• Recorded her fourth match with 20 or more kills, and tallied her 14^th outing with at least two service aces
• Last Oregon Freshman of the Week: Alanah Clemente (Sept. 1, 2025)