Yetur Gross-Matos Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week

Yetur Gross-Matos had his second dominating performance in as many weeks, and is gaining attention for his stellar play of late. The Big Ten has named Yetur Gross-Matos as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week after leading the Nittany Lion defense with nine tackles, four TFLs and two sacks against Iowa on Saturday.

This is the first such honor for Gross-Matos, who has developed into a dominant force the past two games. He had a similar stat line against Indiana in week eight, where he collected 10 tackles and two sacks. It was the second consecutive week that Gross-Matos was the leading tackler for the Nittany Lions.

Gross-Matos is the first Nittany Lion to take home the big Ten’s Defensive Player of Week honor in 2018. Jason Cabinda received the honor just over a year ago following Penn State’s 42-13 victory against Michigan.

Maryland’s Javon Leake was awarded with both the Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Week honors after accumulating 274 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in the Terps’ victory against Illinois. Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi and Tanner Morgan shared Freshman of the Week honors, as both led their teams to victory in their first career starts.