Indiana's Jamar Johnson Named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Johnson had a career-high 10 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble in Indiana's victory over Penn State.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Jamar Johnson's big performance on Saturday against Penn State has earned him some conference recognition this week.

The Big Ten announced Monday morning that Johnson has been named Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week, along with Rutgers linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi.

This is Johnson's first Big Ten honor.

Johnson was all over the field in Indiana's 36-35 overtime win over the Nittany Lions. He had a career-high 10 tackles, but he also had a few takeaways as well.

In the second quarter, Johnson picked off Sean Clifford, setting up an Indiana touchdown.

"I think we just seized the opportunities in the moment," Johnson said after the game. "He overthrew a pick to me, so I had to catch it."

Later in the quarter, Johnson defended the option perfectly, disrupting the exchange between the quarterback and running back, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Jerome Johnson and allowed Indiana to take a 17-7 lead into halftime.

"Also, I made an instinctive play down in the red zone," Johnson said. "The quarterback tried to pull it, but I just went for the ball. I think that was seizing the moment."

It was Johnson's first-career multi-takeaway game.

His interception in the second quarter made it three-straight games Johnson has come up with a pick dating back to last season. He now leads Indiana's roster with four career interceptions.

He shares the team lead with Bryant Fitzgerald and Cam Jones with six career takeaways.

Johnson played a big role in Indiana getting its sixth victory against a Top-10 opponent in program history, and first one since 1987.

Johnson and the Hoosiers, ranked No. 17 in the country, 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.

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