Nov. 10, 2008
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IOWA CITY, IA – Iowa defensive back Tyler Sash has been named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Week following his play in the Hawkeye upset win over third-ranked Penn State last Saturday.
Sash, a 6-1, 200-pound redshirt freshman from Oskaloosa, was instrumental in Iowa’s 24-23 win over the Nittany Lions. It was Penn State’s first loss of the year and the win made Iowa bowl eligible for the eighth straight year. Sash registered eight tackles and had a crucial interception to set up Iowa’s final drive for a game-winning field goal. The first-year starter had four solo stops and was part of a Hawkeye defense that held the Nittany Lions to only 23 points and 289 total yards. PSU entered the game leading the Big Ten in both categories, ranking eighth in the country with 41.8 points per contest and 11th nationally with 459.8 yards per outing.
Penn State drove inside Iowa’s 20-yard line on five occasions but was limited to field goals on three of those trips. After the Hawkeyes pulled within two (23-21) in the fourth quarter, Penn State drove to the Hawkeyes’ 37-yard line before Sash picked off a pass at the 15-yard line and returned it 14 yards. Iowa then drove down the field to set up the game-winning field goal with only one second on the clock.
Sash is the fifth Hawkeye to win Big Ten player of the week honors this season. Previous winners include DT Karl Klug (defense vs. Florida Int.), WR Andy Brodell (special teams vs. Iowa State), RB Shonn Greene (offense vs. Wisconsin) and LB Pat Angerer (defense vs. Wisconsin.
The Hawkeyes end their home campaign with an 11 a.m. kickoff against Purdue this Saturday, in Kinnick Stadium. About 2,000 tickets remain.