Hawkeye captain and senior linebacker James Morris was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week today following Iowa’s 23-7 win over Minnesota.

Morris recorded 8 tackles and a sack in the win over the Gophers and sealed Iowa’s victory by intercepting Minnesota quarterback Philip Nelson with four minutes left in the game. The Solon native was instrumental in limiting Minnesota’s rushing total to just 30 yards, giving Iowa its fourth-straight win.

Morris is currently tied for 11th in the conference with 31 tackles. Iowa is tied with Northwestern for first place in the conference in turnover margin, with both schools at plus-11.

This is the first time Morris has been given such an honor during his playing career. Hawkeye cornerback B.J. Lowery was given the same honor last week after his performance against Western Michigan.

Iowa kicker Mike Meyer was also recognized by the Lou Groza Place-Kicker Award as star of the week for his performance against the Gophers. Meyer went 3-of-4 on kicks of 49, 26, and 43 yards at Minnesota, and he converted both his PAT attempts to notch 11 points. Meyer missed also missed a 39-yarder in the second quarter — the ball bounced off the left upright. He is now 8-of-10 for field goals on the year.

— by Ben Ross