10/26/2020 football Edit

Jamar Johnson named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Alec Lasley • TheHoosier

Senior Writer

Following Indiana's big win over No. 8 Penn State, IU defensive back Jamar Johnson was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week.

In Saturday's game, Johnson had 10 tackles, an interception and forced fumble. His interception was his third in as many games.

Indiana's last Defensive Player of the Week was Marcus Oliver (Oct. 31, 2016).

Below is the full release from IU.

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Jamar Johnson was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week. (IU Athletics)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana junior safety Jamar Johnson earned Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week honors, the league announced on Monday morning. Johnson, who secured his first B1G honor, shared the award with Rutgers linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi.

In the Hoosiers win over No. 8 Penn State, the Sarasota, Fla., native posted a career-high 10 tackles and seven solos, picked off a pass that set up an IU touchdown and forced a fumble with PSU threatening inside the Indiana 10-yard line. Johnson recorded his first-career multi-takeaway game, has an interception in three-straight games, tops the Hoosiers with four career INTs and shares the team lead with redshirt junior husky Bryant Fitzgerald and junior linebacker Cam Jones with six career takeaways.

IU's win over the Nittany Lions was the sixth against a Top-10 opponent in program history, with the last coming at No. 9 Ohio State (31-10) on Oct. 10, 1987.

Indiana entered the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 17 and the Amway Coaches Poll presented by USA Today Sports at No. 19. The ranking is the best for the Hoosiers in the AP Poll since Nov. 2, 1993 (No. 17), while the team's place in the Coaches Poll is the best since Nov. 8, 1993 (No. 18).

IU will head to Piscataway, N.J., to face Rutgers on Saturday, Oct. 31. The game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST and will be televised on B1G Network.