Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Maryland coach Mike Locksley are among the honorees in The Associated Press’ midseason report for the Big Ten Conference.
Harrison was picked as the conference’s top offensive player in voting by AP sports writers who cover league teams. Locksley was the choice for top coach after the Terrapins got off to their best start since 2001.
Harrison is averaging 99.8 receiving yards per game to easily lead the Big Ten and is averaging just under 20 yards per catch.
He turned in his best performance of the season last week against Maryland after injuring his ankle in the first half against Notre Dame on Sept. 23. He caught eight passes for 163 yards and a touchdown in the 37-17 win over the Terrapins. Seven of his eight receptions resulted in first downs.
“If there’s a one-on-one opportunity with Marvin, I don’t care who’s guarding; I’ll pick Marvin 10 times out of 10,” quarterback Kyle McCord said.
Locksley has steadily improved his program’s recruiting over his five seasons, and his team is on track for a third straight winning season. That hasn’t happened at Maryland since 2001-03.
The Terps opened 5-0, beating each opponent by at least 18 points, and they were ahead 17-10 in the third quarter at No. 3 Ohio State last week before giving up 27 straight points. A win over Illinois at home Saturday would make the Terps bowl eligible at the earliest point in a season since 2001.
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER
Iowa CB Cooper DeJean has elevated his game recently and is showing why he was an AP preseason All-American. Two weeks ago against Michigan State, he stopped a drive with an end-zone interception and ran back a punt 70 yards for the tie-breaking touchdown. Last week against Purdue, he returned an interception 41 yards to set up a field goal.
TOP FIRST-YEAR FRESHMAN
Minnesota RB Darius Taylor averaged 133 yards over the first four games and was named Big Ten freshman of the week three times before an injury sidelined him the last two weeks. He’s been a workhorse, averaging 28.7 carries over his last three games.
TOP FIRST-YEAR TRANSFER
Michigan State RB Nathan Carter, coming off an injury-plagued season at Connecticut, is the best thing going for the Spartans. He accounts for a Big Ten-high 39.5% of their scrimmage touches, according to Sportradar, and is running for 95.4 yards per game.
MOST SURPRISING TEAM
Rutgers (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) already has matched its 2022 win total and proved to be more competitive in the games it has lost. There’s no shame in losing on the road to No. 2 Michigan and Wisconsin. The Scarlet Knights scored the first touchdown before losing 31-7 at the Big House. They didn’t give in after trailing 17-0 at half in a 24-13 loss in Madison.
MOST SURPRISING PLAYER
Michigan WR Roman Wilson already has matched his 2022 production and made one of the catches of the year when he snagged an end-zone pass and pinned the ball to the back of the Nebraska defender’s helmet before securing it for the touchdown. Wilson’s eight receiving TDs are tied for third nationally.
MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM
Illinois (2-4, 0-3) tied for second in the Big Ten West last year and was a trendy pick to challenge for the title in a wide-open division this season. The Illini have surrendered a Big Ten-worst 24 sacks, Mississippi transfer Luke Altmyer has thrown the second-most interceptions in the FBS (8) and their defense is worst in the league.
HOTTEST SEAT
Tom Allen has Indiana headed toward a third straight losing season, but the bigger concern is that the Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2) have dropped 18 of their last 20 Big Ten games and haven’t been competitive in most of them. Indiana has already fired offensive coordinator Walt Bell but Allen could be a harder decision: His buyout is $20.4 million.
BIGGEST INJURY
Iowa QB Cade McNamara wasn’t the miracle worker fans hoped he would be, but his season-ending ACL tear against Michigan State on Sept. 30 has increased the pressure on an already limited offense. The Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-1) are going with unpolished backup Deacon Hill and hoping defense and special teams continue to carry them.
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AP Sports Writers Dave Campbell in Minnesota, Tom Canavan in New Jersey, Larry Lage in Michigan, Mike Marot in Indiana, Steve Megargee in Wisconsin and Mitch Stacy in Ohio contributed to this report.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
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