Around The Big Ten – October 29

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FOOTBALL

Co-Offensive Players of the Week

Justice Haynes, Michigan

RB – Jr. – Alpharetta, Ga. – Buford

• Finished the day with 26 carries for 152 yards with two touchdowns, his third multi-touchdown game of the season, to help the Wolverines defeat in-state rival Michigan State
• Responsible for more than half the team’s 276 rushing yards, the team’s most in the rivalry since 1994
• Recorded the most rushing yards by a U-M player in the rivalry series since Blake Corum had 177 yards on 33 carries in 2022
• Haynes is the first Wolverine player with multiple rushing touchdowns against the Spartans since Blake Corum in 2020
• Last Michigan Offensive Player of the Week: Kalel Mullings (Sept. 30, 2024)

Denzel Boston, Washington

WR – Jr. – South Hill, Wash. – Emerald Ridge

• Set new career highs with 10 receptions and 153 receiving yards, while also catching a six-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, as Washington beat No. 23 Illinois, 42-25
• Threw a second-quarter, 12-yard touchdown pass to Jonah Coleman on a double pass
• The first Husky to record a passing and receiving touchdown in the same game since Dante Pettis in 2016
• Last Washington Offensive Player of the Week: Demond Williams Jr. (Oct. 13, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week

Jimmy Rolder, Michigan

LB – Jr. – Orland Park, Ill. – Marist

·       Recovered a fumble early in the first quarter, marking the first of his career, in Michigan’s 31-20 win against Michigan State

·       Finished with a career-high 10 tackles including one sack

·       Helped limit the Spartans to three yards per rush, while also shutting down a key fourth-down conversion attempt by breaking up a pass

·       Last Michigan Defensive Player of the Week honoree: Josaiah Stewart (Sept. 23, 2024)

Co-Special Teams Players of the Week

Kenneth Williams, Nebraska

RB – So. – Lincoln, Neb. – Lincoln High

·       Opened the second half with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to give Nebraska a 14-6 lead

·       The kickoff return for a touchdown was Williams’ second of at least 85 yards in the past three games, and marked Nebraska’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2017

·       Finished the game with two kickoff returns for 124 total yards

·       Last Nebraska Special Teams Players of the Week: Quinton Newsome (Oct. 30, 2023)

Jai Patel, Rutgers

PK – Sr. – Monmouth Junction, N.J. – South Brunswick

·       Made two field goals under the two-minute timeout in the fourth quarter to help Rutgers defeat Purdue, the first walk-off field goal for the Scarlet Knights since 2015 at Indiana

·       Converted from 20 yards away to tie the score with 1:06 remaining before hitting from 30 yards away as time expired for the game-winner

·       Improved to 40 career made fields goals and has 12 games with multiple makes

·       Last Rutgers Special Teams Players of the Week: Jai Patel (Sept. 11, 2023)

Freshman of the Week

Jordon Davison, Oregon

RB – Santa Ana, Calif. – Mater Dei

• Led Oregon to a 21-7 win over Wisconsin with a career-high 102 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries
• Scored Oregon’s first two touchdowns to put the Ducks up 14-0, finding the end zone from three yards and 20 yards for his second multi-touchdown game of the season and second straight 100-yard rushing game
• First Oregon freshman to have back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since 2018 and joins program legend Royce Freeman as the only players to rush for 10-plus touchdowns as a true freshman
• First Oregon Freshman of the Week honoree

VOLLEYBALL

Player of the Week 
Grace Heaney, Purdue 
RS-So. – OPP – Omaha, Neb. 

• Led Purdue to a 2-0 week with wins over RV Illinois (3-0) and No. 20 Minnesota (3-2)
• Tallied 16 kills on a .536 hitting percentage (16-1-28) at Illinois, leading all players in the match in both kills and hitting percentage
• Against No. 20 Minnesota, totaled a career-high 22 kills on a .364 clip, adding 11 digs for her third career double-double. Her 23 points were also a career-best
• Went errorless on the attack in the first set against Minnesota on 11 swings
• In set three against the Gophers, Heaney scored the final two points which sparked Purdue to the reverse sweep, scoring the go-ahead point for the 26-25 advantage and then was on the set-winning block to force a fourth set
• Added five blocks on the week to help limit opponents to a .199 hitting percentage
• Last Purdue Player of the Week: Kenna Wollard (Oct. 6, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week 
Hannah Whittingstall, Iowa 
Jr. – MB – San Antonio, Texas 

• Totaled 15 blocks to lead Iowa to a 2-0 week with wins over Michigan State (3-1) and Rutgers (3-2)
• Averaged 1.67 blocks per set across the two matches, highlighted by her first career double-double against Rutgers with a team-leading 14 kills and a career-best tying 10 blocks
• Led Iowa to a season-high 16.5 team blocks on Sunday against the Scarlet Knights
• Tallied five blocks in Iowa’s four-set win over Michigan State
• Was Iowa’s point leader in both matches (35.5), including a team-high 19 against Rutgers
• Last Iowa Defensive Player of the Week: Bethany Yeager (Sept. 2, 2013)

Setter of the Week
Taylor Anderson, Purdue 
Jr. – S – San Antonio, Texas

• Led Purdue to a pair of wins vs. opponents ranked or receiving votes in the top 25 poll, including a 3-0 win at RV Illinois and a 3-2 reverse sweep vs. No. 20 Minnesota
• Guided the Purdue offense to a combined .310 hitting percentage with 91 assists (11.38 per set)
• Recorded a double-double with 32 assists and 11 digs at Illinois as Purdue hit .376 in the match, the third-highest team attack percentage this season
• Recorded 59 assists against the Gophers as Purdue hit .269 in the match
• As a team, Purdue’s 74 kills vs. Minnesota were a season-best and most by a Big Ten team last week
• Collects second consecutive Setter of the Week honor
• Last Purdue Setter of the Week: Taylor Anderson (Oct. 20, 2025)

Freshman of the Week 
Reese Messer, USC 
S – Olathe, Kan.

• Guided USC to a pair of wins over Maryland (3-0) and Washington (3-1)
• Set USC to a season-high .427 hitting percentage with 35 assists, four digs, two blocks and a kill in a win over the Terrapins
• Produced her eighth double-double with a career-high 48 assists and a career-high matching 16 digs in the win over the Huskies, adding three kills, three blocks and two service aces
• Averaged 11.86 assists per set to go with 2.86 digs per set and 1.21 points per set
• Last USC Freshman of the Week: Taylor Deckert (Oct. 20, 2025)

HOCKEY

First Star
Tommi Männistö, Michigan State (pronounced: TOH-mee man-NEE-stoh)
Jr. – F – Riihimäki, Finland — Tappara J20

• Produced three goals and two assists as No. 1/1 Michigan State swept Northern Michigan in Marquette, Mich.
• Shared scoring honors among Big Ten players with a five-point weekend
• Figured in four of the six goals scored by Michigan State in a 6-2 win on Saturday
• Helped the Spartans go 13 for 14 on the penalty kill during the series
• Last Michigan State First Star: Isaac Howard (Jan. 14, 2025)

Second Star
Sutter Muzzatti, Notre Dame (pronounced: Suh-tter muh-zah-tee)
Gr. – F – Okemos, Mich. – RPI (ECAC)
2023 NHL Draft: 5th Rd, 143 overall, Nashville

• Amassed a conference-best five points (three goals, two assists) to help Notre Dame to a win and tie against Robert Morris
• Notched a career-high four points with two goals and two assists in Notre Dame’s 6-3 win on Friday
• Won 21 of 31 faceoffs for a 67.7 percent success rate during the series
• A graduate transfer, leads the Irish in scoring with nine points
• Last Notre Dame Star honoree: Justin Janicke (Third Star, Feb. 24, 2025)

Third Star
Gavin McKenna, Penn State
Fr. – F – Whitehorse, Yukon – Medicine Hat (WHL)

• Compiled back-to-back multiple-point contests for No. 5/5 Penn State in a home sweep of Stonehill
• Scored the game-tying goal in the third period, then followed with the primary assist on the game-winning goal with 22.5 seconds left in Friday’s 3-2 victory
• Netted a power play goal and assisted on a third period goal during a 4-2 win on Saturday
• Owns four multiple-point games for the 7-1-0 Nittany Lions
• Last Penn State Star recipient: Matt DiMarsico (First Star, Oct. 21, 2025)