Twelve Hoosiers Earn All-Conference Honors

Nate Sudfeld and 11 other Hoosiers littered the All-B1G lists in 2015. Image: Indiana Football

Nate Sudfeld and 11 other Hoosiers littered the All-B1G lists in 2015. Image: Indiana Football

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle) Excerpts from IU Media Relations

On Monday and Tuesday nights the Big Ten announced their All-Conference teams as voted by the coaches and the media in the Big Ten. Twelve Hoosier players earned All-Big Ten honors over the past two nights. Here is a list of who they are and their highlights from the 2015 season are:

ImageL Indiana Football

ImageL Indiana Football

Simmie Cobbs, WR, Honorable Mention

Cobbs had a breakout sophomore season becoming the Hoosiers leading receiver with 54 receptions for 914 yards and four touchdowns. His season was highlighted by a career-best 192 yards on nine catches in the Hoosiers' 47-28 win against Maryland. 

Michael Cooper, TE, Honorable Mention

Image: Indiana Football

Image: Indiana Football

At the beginning of the season Cooper, a walk-on transfer from Arizona in his second season with Indiana, was an afterthought behind the likes of Anthony Corsaro and Danny Friend. He quietly became a weapon for the Hoosiers as the season went along. He finished the year as the Hoosiers fourth leading receiver with 16 catches for 202 yards and two scores. He finishes his Hoosier career with 18 receptions for 227 yards in 24 career games. A key blocker for the Big Ten’s top offense, Cooper earned IU offensive player of the week honors following the Western Kentucky and Iowa games.

Dan Feeney, Right Guard, First Team All-B1G

Image: Indiana Football.

Image: Indiana Football.

The junior lineman allowed just one sack in his 36 career stats and has not allowed one in 2015. Feeney was named to the Outland and Lombardi Award Watch Lists prior to the season. He was also named a mid-season All-American by ESPN.com 

 

Jordan Howard, Running Back, First Team All-B1G

Image: Indiana Football

Image: Indiana Football

Howard is second in the Big Ten with 134.8 rushing yards per game (10th nationally) and 146.6 all-purpose yards per game (15th). He owns 1,213 rushing yards (3rd in Big Ten; 24th nationally) on 196 carries (3rd), a 6.2 average (3rd; 26th), with nine rushing touchdowns (7th) and 10 total TDs (T-6th). 

His best game came in Indiana's double-over time loss to Michigan when he ran for 238 yards and scored three total touchdowns. 

A candidate for the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards, he became the 11th Hoosier (16th time) to reach 1,000-yards and is 12th on the program’s all-time single-season list.

Darius Latham, Defensive Tackle, Honorable Mention

Image: Indiana Football

Image: Indiana Football

Latham is tied for second on the team with 10 tackles for loss in nine starts and 10 games overall. He leads the interior linemen with four sacks and 28 tackles. Latham did miss games against Southern Illinois and Ohio State due to disciplinary reasons. His best performance came in the Hoosiers 31-24 win at Wake Forest when he had five tackles, 3.5 TFL's and a sack. In his career, Latham has played in 34 games and has totaled 76 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks.

Nick Mangieri, Defensive End, Honorable Mention

Image: Indiana Football

Image: Indiana Football

Mangieri tops the team with nine sacks, which shares fourth in the Big Ten and 15th nationally, and sits sixth on the Indiana single-season list. He also paces the Hoosiers with 11 tackles for loss to go along with 48 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. His best effort came in the regular-season finale at Purdue when he recorded six tackles, three TFL's, and two sacks in the Hoosier win.

Griffin Oakes, Kicker, Bakken-Andersen B1G Kicker of the Year

Image: Indiana Football

Image: Indiana Football

Oakes is first in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (88.0, 9th nationally), first in field goals (22, T-6th), and first among B1G kickers (T-6th) and third among all players (T-14th) with 9.5 points per game.

He has 51 touchbacks on 83 kickoffs. The Greenwood, Ind., native leads the conference in touchbacks (T-6th nationally), touchback percentage (61.5, 15th) and kickoff average (63.5, 15th).Oakes is 22-of-25 (88.0) on field goals and 48-of-52 (92.3) on extra points in 2015. He is first in field goals, tied for second in PATs and tied for third in points (114) on IU’s single season lists.In his career, Oakes is seventh on the program’s career field goals chart, hitting 35-of-43 (81.4), and seventh on the extra points ledger, connecting on 71-of-75 (94.7).

Marcus Oliver, Linebacker, Honorable Mention

Image: Indiana Football

Image: Indiana Football

Oliver became the first Hoosier with 100 tackles since Matt Mayberry (108) in 2009 and ranks 10th in the Big Ten with 8.5 tackles per game. He has had a hand in seven turnovers – four forced fumbles, tied for seventh nationally, two interceptions and one recovery. In 26 career games, Oliver has assisted on 10 takeaways - seven forced fumbles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. 

Mitchell Paige, Punt Return, Honorable Mention

Image: Indiana Football

Image: Indiana Football

Paige is the first Hoosier with two punt return touchdowns in a season since 1990 (Rob Turner). He is tied for second nationally with his two scores and owns 199 yards (22nd nationally) on 17 returns, an 11.7 average (22nd). His two touchdowns came against Western Kentucky and Michigan.

 

Jake Reed, Center, Sportsmanship Award

Zack Shaw, Bandit, Honorable Mention

Shaw is second on the team with 10 TFLs, tied for second with four sacks and owns 46 tackles. He leads the way with 24.5 career tackles for loss and is second with nine sacks. The Coshocton, Ohio, native has at least one stop for loss in seven of his last nine games.

 

Jason Spriggs, Left Tackle, Second Team All-B1G

Image: Indiana Football

Image: Indiana Football

Spriggs was named of one of six semifinalists for the 2015 Outland Trophy. He has allowed just two sacks in 431 called pass attempts and has 72 knockdowns in 972 snaps. The Concord, Ind., native started 28 consecutive games to begin his career and has made a team-high 46 starts in 47 games at left tackle. In 2014, Spriggs allowed just two sacks in 689 snaps and recorded 45 knockdowns.

Nate Sudfeld, Quarterback, Third Team All-B1G

Image: Indiana Football

Image: Indiana Football

Sudfeld, one of three finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, is Indiana's all-time passing yardage (7,490) and passing touchdowns (58) leader. He is first in 200-yard (19), 300-yard (10) and 350-yard (5) games, tied for first in three-touchdown games (9), tied for second in completions (565) and 250-yard games (12), is third in total offense (7,602) and is fifth in attempts (932). 

On the school's single-season list, his 3,184 yards are first, his six 300-yard games share first, his 24 touchdowns share second, his 3,225 total yards are third, his 219 completions are fifth and his 361 attempts are eighth. 

Sudfeld leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game (289.5; 17th nationally), passing yards (3,184; 22nd), total offense per game (293.2; 20th), total offense (3,225; 25th), passing efficiency (153.9; 18th), yards per completion (14.5; 5th) and yards per attempt (8.8; T-14th), is tied for first in touchdowns (24; T-22nd), is second TD-INT ratio, is tied for third in fewest interceptions (5) and is tied for fourth in completion percentage (60.7).