SCALES, FANT SECOND TEAM ALL-B1G; SCHOOL RECORD SIX DEFENSIVE PLAYERS RECOGNIZED
/IU Athletics Release
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana junior linebacker Tegray Scales and redshirt junior cornerback Rashard Fant earned second team All-Big Ten honors, the Big Ten announced tonight.
The conference released defensive and special teams award winners, and four IU standouts received honorable mention recognition: fifth-year senior defensive tackle Ralph Green III (coaches), redshirt junior linebacker Marcus Oliver (coaches and media), sophomore safety Jonathan Crawford (media) and true freshman husky Marcelino Ball (coaches and media). Scales and Fant received second team honors from the media and third team honors from the coaches.
Additionally, fifth-year senior offensive lineman Jacob Bailey was named Indiana's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.
It is the first time in program history six defensive players were recognized by the conference. Scales is the first linebacker honored since second-teamer Kyle Killion in 2004, and Fant is the first cornerback recognized since first-teamer Tracy Porter in 2007.
Scales leads the nation with 87 solo stops, and he is first in the Big Ten with 116 tackles (T-16th nationally) and 20.5 tackles for loss, which put him in a share of fourth nationally and in third on the program's single-season list. His eight double-figure tackle games also rank first in the league (T-2nd nationally). Scales has five sacks, a pick-6 and one forced fumble.
Fant's 17 pass breakups lead the conference and rank second nationally, while his 19 passes defended pace the Big Ten and are tied for third in the country. He is first in the NCAA among active players with 47 career passes defended.
Oliver, who earned honorable mention for the second straight year, is first in the B1G in forced fumbles (5, T-3rd nationally), and third in solo tackles (65, T-19th) and TFLs (15.5, T-23rd). He owns 96 total stops (T-12th in the Big Ten) with four sacks and one fumble recovery.
Crawford became the first Big Ten player and just the eighth FBS player with three takeaways (2 INTs, 1 FR) in a game this year in the Purdue win. He shares the conference lead and is sixth nationally with three fumble recoveries and is tied for 11th in the league with three interceptions to go along with 65 tackles and seven pass breakups.
Ball is third on the team and leads all Big Ten true freshmen with 73 stops (58 solo - 3rd on the team, T-5th in the B1G and T-47th nationally) in addition to 4.5 tackles for loss, three takeaways and seven pass breakups (T-3rd on the team, T-19th in the Big Ten).
Green has collected 90 tackles, four sacks and 20 TFLs in 46 career games. In 2016, he leads the Hoosiers defensive line (3rd on the team) with 7.5 tackles for loss to go along with 29 stops, 19 solo, one sack and two pass breakups.
The Big Ten will announce offensive award winners on Wednesday's BTN Live at 5 p.m. ET.