Prater earns Big Ten honor; NW kick off; there is a recruit

From Iowa sports info:

PRATER NAMED BIG TEN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

IOWA CITY, IOWA – University of Iowa junior defensive back Shaun Prater has been named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week following Iowa's 37-6 win over fifth-ranked Michigan State in Kinnick Stadium last Saturday. The announcement was made by the Big Ten office today.

Prater is a 5-11, 180-pound junior from Omaha, NE. He collected a game- and career-high 10 tackles and recorded his third interception of the season to help hold Michigan State to only six points and hand the Spartans their first loss of the season. Seven of Prater's 10 defensive stops were solo tackles and he added 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. It marks the first time he has earned the weekly Big Ten honor.

With Iowa holding a 17-0 lead, MSU drove to the Hawkeyes' 27-yard line before the junior cornerback picked off a pass and returned it 42 yards into Spartan territory. Three plays later, Iowa scored a touchdown to build its lead to 23-0. The Hawkeyes collected three interceptions in the game and held the Spartans to only 31 rushing yards, more than 160 yards below their season average entering the contest.

Prater is the fifth Iowa player to earn the weekly league honor this year. Earlier this season running back Paki O'Meara won the special team award for his play against Eastern Illinois, defensive tackle Mike Daniels won the defensive honor against Ball State, defensive end Adrian Clayborn was named defensive Player of the Week for his play against Penn State and quarterback Ricky Stanzi for his play against Michigan.

Iowa had eight players named Big Ten Players of the Week last year (four on defense, one offense and three special teams).

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The Hawkeyes game this weekend at Indiana will kick off at 11 a.m. and be televised by the Big Ten Network.

Iowa's Nov. 13 game at Northwestern will be at 11 a.m. on ESPN or ESPN2.

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According to assistant coach Eric Johnson's Twitter, the Hawkeyes have a new recruit.

Could be Nicholas Law, a 6-3, 195-pound safety from Maryland.

Could be Christian French, a 6-6, 229-pound ATH from CR Kennedy, which travels to North Scott for a Class 4A second-round game tonight.

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Here's the Hawkeye Huddle release for the game in Bloomington this weekend:

Hawkeye fans traveling to Bloomington, Indiana for the Iowa-Indiana football game on Saturday, November 6, should make plans to attend the “Hawkeye Huddle” prior to kickoff.

The Hawkeye Huddle is presented by the National I-Club and the UI Alumni Association, and is sponsored by The Gazette and KCRG TV9.

The Huddle will begin at 9:00 a.m. (EST) at the Holiday Inn (formerly the Crowne Plaza), 1710 N. Kinser Pike, Bloomington, Indiana. Kickoff is at 12:00 p.m EST at Memorial Stadium.

Admission to the Hawkeye Huddle is free and includes cash refreshments, snacks, Hawk Shop door prizes, cheerleaders, dance team and Herky. Visit www.hawkeyesports.com/iclub for additional information.

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