Sophomore safety David Dowell is brought down while returning an interception during the game against Penn State, on Nov. 4, 2017, at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Nittany Lions, 27-24.
After a long, successful 12-game slate for Big Ten teams around the Midwest — and parts of the East coast now — the All-Big Ten teams have been announced.
Well, at least parts of them. The All-Big Ten offensive teams and individual honors will be announced Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
The postseason awards are split up into two sections — coaches and media.
On Tuesday, the All-Big Ten teams for defense and special teams were announced, along with the Sportsmanship Award honoree, given to student-athletes who "are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior."
Quarterback Brian Lewerke was MSU's Sportsmanship Award honoree.
On the coach's side for defense, two Spartans made the cut on the third-team — defensive end Kenny Willekes and linebacker Joe Bachie.
On the honorable mentions list, four MSU defensive backs, David Dowell, Justin Layne, Josiah Scott and Khari Willis, made the cut.
Switching to the media side, though, Dowell was named a first-team selection, Scott a third-team. They joined Willekes and Bachie, who were third-team All-Big Ten on both lists.
Layne and Willis were both honorable mentions again for the media. However, linebacker Chris Frey and defensive linemen Mike Panasiuk and Raequan Williams also earned accolades.
For special teams, while no Spartan made either list, kicker Matt Coghlin and punter Jake Hartbarger were honorable mentions on the media side.
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