Gophers' Jordan Nubin joins older brother Tyler as Big Ten weekly honors winner

Jordan Nubin, a safety-turned-running back for the Gophers football team, had all of six carries this season entering Saturday's game against Michigan State. By game's end, Nubin had rushed 40 times for 204 yards and two touchdowns in Minnesota's 27-12 victory at Huntington Bank Stadium.

For his efforts, Nubin on Monday was named the Big Ten's offensive player of the week. He is the third Gophers running back to earn a Big Ten weekly honor. Darius Taylor was named Big Ten freshman of the week three times, and Zach Evans earned the freshman honor once.

"The coaching staff put a great game plan together, the O-line was blocking great, and the receivers were blocking their brains out,'' Nubin said Saturday. "It just feels good to be out there with my team.''

Nubin's 40 carries were the most for the Gophers since Mohamed Ibrahim rushed 41 times against Maryland on Oct. 30, 2020, and his 204 yards were the most since Ibrahim gained 263 against Iowa on Nov. 19, 2022. His performance was the 33rd time a Gopher rushed for 200 yards or more, and his 204 total ranks 28th in program history.

Nubin now trails his older brother, Tyler, a Gophers safety, by one in earning a Big Ten weekly honor this season. Tyler Nubin has two Big Ten defensive player of the week awards this season.

The other weekly honors announced Monday went to Northwestern's Aidan Hubbard (defensive player of the week), Nebraska's Quinton Newsome (special teams player of the week) and Purdue defensive back Dillon Thieneman (freshman of the week).

The Big Ten announced that the Gophers' Nov. 11 game at Purdue will be a 2:30 p.m. Central kickoff and air on NBC. The game will be Minnesota's fourth consecutive 2:30 p.m. start and fifth overall this season.

During his weekly news conference Monday, Gophers coach P.J. Fleck offered words of encouragement for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who will miss the remainder of the season because of a torn right Achilles tendon suffered in Minnesota's 24-10 victory over Green Bay on Sunday.

"We just want to send our thoughts to Kirk Cousins and his recovery and wish him a speedy recovery as well,'' Fleck said. "I had a chance to talk to him yesterday and hope everything's OK with him and that his recovery goes really well.''

Tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, who had been held to one reception over the previous two games, caught two passes for 43 yards Saturday, including a contested 30-yard grab that led to the Gophers' first field goal in the second quarter. Fleck liked what he saw from the 6-7, 270-pounder.

"Nobody's worked harder than Brevyn, and you're talking about finding a way to get himself out of whatever he was in, and it wasn't anything that was one particular thing. It was just some inconsistency," he said. "But I think this is a huge step forward for him.''