Defense and special teams, that’s what Iowa does!
The Iowa Hawkeyes relied heavily on those two units in their 26-16 comeback win against Michigan State. It took some standout performances and the Hawkeyes had two of the best in the entire conference.
Cooper DeJean and Nick Jackson were two of those stars and as a result, they are named Big Ten Players of the Week. DeJean is the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week while Jackson is the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
B1G Players of the Week
Special Teams – @cdejean23
Co-Defensive – @nickjhoops #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/zzwoJOYovZ— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) October 2, 2023
Cooper DeJean takes home this recognition for his heroics with a late-game punt return touchdown. His punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter gave Iowa a 23-16 lead and turned Kinnick Stadium into a madhouse. DeJean is averaging an outstanding 14.2 yards per punt return on the year which displays how important he is in the field position battle.
Nick Jackson has been contributing all year long on defense and had his finest outing on Saturday. Jackson poured in 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble against the Spartans. On the season, he had 26 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and leads Iowa with 4.5 tackles for loss.
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