Big Ten Football: The Conference All-Senior Team in 2014
The regular season is in the rear-view mirror, and we're just a few days away from the conference championship game and the naming of the All-Big Ten team for 2014. We thought we'd put a little twist on the All-Big Ten selections here by limiting our list to Big Ten seniors who will shortly complete their time on campus.
To be eligible for our list, players must be considered seniors in terms of time spent at their schools—not necessarily by what they're listed as on the official roster (meaning some may have redshirted). Additionally, we're obviously requiring some standout play from these All-Senior team selections, too.
It's safe to say that every guy on this list will be sorely missed by their teammates, coaches and fans next season, and without further ado, we'd like to present our selections of the top senior performers of the 2014 Big Ten season.
Specialist
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Sam Ficken, K, Penn State
When it comes to specialists, there are plenty of important performances throughout any given season. But special teams is a youngster's game, and most of the standout returners—both kick and punt—are underclassmen. For a senior standout, we turn to the kicking game.
Sam Ficken led the Big Ten with 23 field goals this season, and his 82.1 percent success rate also ranks best among senior kickers (and third overall in the conference).
But perhaps most noteworthy among his accomplishments, Ficken's long, game-winning field goal in Dublin against Central Florida still lingers as one of the more important kicks of the season for any Big Ten team. Not only did his field goal win the game for Penn State, it provided the Nittany Lions with much-needed early momentum under first-year head coach James Franklin.
The Nittany Lions proceeded to ride that momentum to six wins and a likely bowl berth this season.
Defensive Backs
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Landon Feichter, Purdue
Bright spots for Purdue have been few and far between this season, but Landon Feichter is one of them. Feichter leads all seniors with five interceptions this season and has broken up three additional passes as well as forcing a fumble. Add in 105 total tackles, and Feichter easily earns a spot on our All-Senior Big Ten list.
Kurtis Drummond, Michigan State
Kurtis Drummond was an All-Big Ten defensive back last season and a preseason All-Big Ten selection this season. He's lived up to the hype again this season, pulling in four interceptions while breaking up 11 more passes. On top of all of that, he managed to add three tackles for loss to his resume during his final season at MSU.
Josh Mitchell, Nebraska
Nebraska's defense may not have been good enough to save Bo Pelini's job this season, but that doesn't mean there weren't some solid, lockdown defenders on the team. Josh Mitchell finished the regular season as the Big Ten leader with 12 passes defensed. None, however, were interceptions, but his ability to knock the football away makes him a cornerback most quarterbacks will avoid.
Ibraheim Campbell, Northwestern
If you're looking for a Big Ten safety who will use a stat sheet to make our All-Senior team, you'll probably miss Northwestern's Ibraheim Campbell. His pass-defense numbers don't really pop off of the page: three interceptions and three additional passes broken up.
But don't think Campbell isn't a playmaker. In addition to his 54 tackles this season, he forced a Big Ten-leading four fumbles. He's one player Pat Fitzgerald is certainly going to miss next season.
Linebackers
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Jake Ryan, Michigan
You can't escape the fact that Michigan was woefully inadequate this season against the upper echelon of the Big Ten—but you can't blame the defense. Jake Ryan led a defense that is 10th nationally in yards allowed. Ryan led the Wolverines and is second in the Big Ten with 112 tackles (67 solo), has 14 tackles for loss including two sacks, knocked down three passes, has forced two fumbles and even came away with one interception.
Mike Hull, Penn State
Mike Hull is the latest stellar linebacker in the long line of great linebackers at Penn State. No one in the Big Ten, and only six others in the FBS, have more tackles this season than Hull (134). He also has an interception, a forced fumble, 10.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and three pass deflections in a season that will see the Nittany Lions making a bowl trip this holiday season.
Derek Landisch, Wisconsin
Defense wins championships, and Wisconsin's Derek Landisch played a big role in the Badgers' West Division title this season. Landisch was the top Big Ten senior linebacker this season with seven sacks on the year, part of his very impressive 13.5 tackles for loss.
Landisch also made an impact elsewhere, with an interception and three pass deflections. Both Ohio State and Wisconsin's eventual bowl opponent will have a difficult time scheming around him, as his ability to fly all over the field has given offensive coordinators nightmares all season long.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Defensive Line
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Andre Monroe, Maryland
If you were wondering how Maryland's defense would handle the the competition in the Big Ten this season, wonder no more. Andre Monroe led all active Big Ten senior linemen this season with 12 tackles for loss (nine sacks) among his 56 total tackles. If Maryland can continue to add players like Monroe to the roster in the years ahead, we're pretty confident that a trip to a bowl game won't be limited to 2014.
Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State
Shilique Calhoun was a 2013 first-team All-Big Ten selection and second-team All-American and a 2014 preseason All-Conference and All-American honoree. The season didn't turn out quite as expected for Michigan State, but Calhoun has been impressive with 11 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and one fumble recovery (which he returned for 38 yards), plus a blocked kick.
But his real impact on games has come with his ability to pressure the quarterback. While this doesn't show up on stat sheets, Calhoun's ability to slip past blocks has forced countless incompletions, sacks, interceptions and tackles for loss by his disrupting influence.
Marcus Rush, Michigan State
Rush is right. Michigan State's Marcus Rush has been a big part of the Spartans' ability to rush the quarterback almost at will this season. Rush had seven sacks this season, tied for seventh among all players in the Big Ten, and finished the regular season with 10 tackles for loss, three pass deflections and two forced fumbles.
Where do Mark Dantonio and Pat Narduzzi keep finding these guys? Calhoun and Rush combined to anchor an MSU defensive line that was the focal point of a Spartans defense that yet again finished the regular season ranked among the nation's top 10.
Louis Trinca-Pasat, Iowa
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a guy with 11.5 tackles for loss in a season is playing a major role for his team's defense. Iowa's Louis Trinca-Pasat was a relentless force in the opposition's offensive backfield this season, forcing 6.5 sacks and deflecting two passes.
While the Hawkeyes still have a ways to go before they're competing for a West Division title, future players in the mold of Trinca-Pasat will undoubtedly play a major role—if head coach Kirk Ferentz can find them.
Offensive Line
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Brandon Scherff, Iowa
If you don't know about Brandon Scherff, you haven't been paying attention. Scherff is as close as it comes to a lock for the All-Big Ten team, and he's probably a lock to be a consensus All-American, as well. NFL teams are already drooling over this guy, and for good reason. He's been an unqualified success in college, and he has every skill necessary to be the same at the next level.
Zac Epping, Minnesota
Zac Epping has played a major role in Minnesota's rushing success in 2014, which has been the major reason the Golden Gophers managed to enter the final week of the regular season still sporting a shot at the West Division title. While the Gophers came up short in their quest for a division crown, Epping won't be coming up short in his quest for a spot on an NFL squad next fall.
Brandon Vitabile, Northwestern
It might be easy to lose track of a guy like Northwestern's Brandon Vitabile during the course of a season like 2014. After all, the Wildcats center was part of a team that finished the season with a 5-7 record, including a 3-5 mark in conference play (ahead of only Purdue in the West Division). But this senior captain started an impressive 50 consecutive games for Northwestern during his career in Evanston—going all the way back to the first game of his redshirt freshman season in 2011.
Rob Havenstein and Kyle Costigan, Wisconsin
Both Rob Havenstein and Kyle Costigan have been stellar for Wisconsin this season. While Melvin Gordon is getting all of the attention this year, Havenstein and Costigan have been making Gordon's record-breaking running possible.
Add in the fact that Costigan has faced personal hardship, as his mom battles kidney cancer, and the Wisconsin front line not only does its job extremely well, you find yourself rooting for them. These two guys not only make our All-Senior Big Ten list, but are probably going to show up on the All-Big Ten—and perhaps All-American—lists, too.
Tight End
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Sam Arneson, Wisconsin
Tight ends have to do so much more than block these days. Wisconsin's Sam Arneson can certainly block—as any Wisconsin tight end must—but he also excels at catching the football when called upon to contribute in the passing game.
Arneson is the only senior tight end to appear in the conference's top 40 in terms of receiving yards, and he's one of only five tight ends in the top 40, regardless of class.
Arneson will look to improve upon his numbers on Saturday when his Badgers take on the Ohio State Buckeyes for the Big Ten title.
Wide Receivers
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Tony Lippett, Michigan State
This one is a no-brainer. Tony Lippett not only leads all senior wide receivers in the Big Ten, he leads all receivers with 1,124 receiving yards this season. The go-to guy in Michigan State's Big Ten-leading pass offense also leads the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns (11) and is third in yards per catch (18.7).
Is there any reason we wouldn't name Lippett to our Big Ten All-Senior team?
Kenny Bell, Nebraska
Over Kenny Bell's career at Nebraska, he's been hampered by poor quarterback performances and Nebraska's stellar running abilities. Still, he's managed to overcome these challenges to emerge as one of the nation's most reliable big-play receivers.
Bell is second among senior wideouts this season with 717 yards, which is also sixth in the conference overall.
Devin Smith, Ohio State
Devin Smith is another in a long line of wide receivers at Ohio State to delight crowds with highlight-reel catches on almost a weekly basis. While his stats put him just 10th in the conference with 662 yards (fourth among seniors), he's tied for third overall with eight touchdown catches (second among seniors).
Regardless of who is tossing the football for the Buckeyes next season, it's clear that Ohio State will miss Smith.
Running Back
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David Cobb, Minnesota
If you had asked anyone a few months ago who the top senior running back in the Big Ten was going to be, absolutely everyone outside of Minneapolis would have said Ameer Abdullah.
There was good reason to believe Abdullah was headed for another stellar season to follow up his 2013 Big Ten rushing title. He had 232 yards against Florida Atlantic. He put up 229 yards against Miami (Fla.) and 208 against Illinois.
But when it comes to sustained success in the running game, no senior in the Big Ten was better this year than Minnesota's David Cobb. He never rushed for fewer than 74 yards against Big Ten competition, and he had seven 100-yard games (including two 200-yard games).
Cobb also finished the season with 1,548 total rushing yards—25 more than Abdullah—and averaged two yards more per game than Abdullah. Small margins, sure, but margins nonetheless.
There's also the fact that Cobb's success was much more important to Minnesota's overall success, as the Gophers finished with the worst passing offense int he Big Ten (131.4 yards per game). When Cobb struggled, Minnesota struggled. When Abdullah struggled, Nebraska had others on which to lean. So even from a standpoint of "most valuable to his team's success," we still have to give Cobb the edge.
Quarterback
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Jake Rudock, Iowa
Of all the senior quarterbacks to finish in the top 10 in terms of passing yards (of which there were four), Iowa's Jake Rudock is the only one to finish in the top five, and one of only two among that group to finish with more touchdown passes than interceptions.
While Iowa's season didn't have the division-championship ending Hawkeyes fans had been envisioning a few months back, there were still some high points for Iowa this season.
The Hawkeyes never made it into the Top 25, but they received votes in the Amway Coaches' Poll as recently as Week 14—which is later into the season than eight other Big Ten teams.
There's still a bowl game left for Iowa, but Rudock finished the regular season with 2,404 passing yards (fifth in the Big Ten), 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
