Sports

Big Ten coaches awards

By Derek Levarse dlevarse@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter
Derek Levarse on Facebook   |   TLdlevarse on Twitter

A lack of numbers kept Penn State’s Jared Odrick off the media’s All-Big Ten first team. But the coaches he played against voted him the conference’s best defensive player.

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Odrick

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PSU ALL-BIG TEN SELECTIONS

FIRST TEAM

• LB Navorro Bowman
• QB Daryll Clark
• OT Dennis Landolt
• DT Jared Odrick
• RB Evan Royster
• C Stefen Wisniewski

SECOND TEAM

• P Jeremy Boone
• LB Josh Hull
• LB Sean Lee

HONORABLE MENTION

• S Drew Astorino
• DE Jack Crawford
• CB D’Anton Lynn
• WR Derek Moye
• DT Ollie Ogbu
• TE Andrew Quarless

In the biggest surprise of the league’s annual award show on Monday, Odrick was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches, who also voted him Defensive Lineman of the Year. Odrick was one of six Nittany Lions to be named to the conference’s first team on at least one of the ballots – tied with Iowa for most in the league.

The second biggest surprise may have been that the senior defensive tackle was only a second-team selection by the media.

Odrick split the award with Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones, who won the media vote.

“I was shocked,” Odrick said in a taped interview. “I was sitting there with my mother at dinner, and I received a call notifying me of the award. I’m honored to receive it. There’s so many great players in the Big Ten, and I’m excited to be voted as a good player in the Big Ten.”

Perhaps based on his modest stats – 41 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, six sacks – Odrick was merely a good player. But the coaches who had to gameplan against him each week voted that he made a far bigger impact than the numbers.

A three-year starter, Odrick became the fourth Penn State player to win the award since joining the conference in 1993, along with LaVar Arrington (1998), Courtney Brown (1999) and Michael Haynes (2002).

He’s also the first interior lineman to earn the league’s top defensive honor since Ohio State’s Dan Wilkinson in 1993.

The Lions had six total first-team All-Big Ten selections. Quarterback Daryll Clark, running back Evan Royster, center Stefen Wisniewski and linebacker Navorro Bowman appeared on both the media and coaches’ first teams.

Offensive tackle Dennis Landolt and Odrick were first-team selections by the coaches and second-team choices by the media.

Linebacker Sean Lee and punter Jeremy Boone made the second team in both votes, and linebacker Josh Hull was given a second-team nod by the media.

Six more Lions picked up All-Big Ten honorable mentions – safety Drew Astorino, defensive end Jack Crawford, cornerback D’Anton Lynn, wide receiver Derek Moye, defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu and tight end Andrew Quarless.

Clark was beaten out for Offensive Player of the Year in both votes by Wisconsin tailback John Clay, who became the first sophomore to win the award since Purdue’s Drew Brees in 1998.

Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz earned Coach of the Year honors. Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland was named Freshman of the Year by both the coaches and the media.

Penn State ended the regular season on Saturday with a 42-14 win at Michigan State to finish 10-2 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten.

The Lions are at No. 13 in the latest BCS standings and will likley be eligible for an at-large selection to one of the BCS bowls when they are announced on Dec. 6.