2 Penn State seniors take home Big Ten Player of the Week honors

For the first time in 2025, Penn State is represented in the Big Ten’s weekly awards.

Senior running back Kaytron Allen won the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week nomination, while senior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton earned Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The Nittany Lions defeated Michigan State, 28-10, to snap a six-game losing streak and get interim head coach Terry Smith’s first win.

Allen shared his award with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who led his No. 2 Hoosiers over Wisconsin to improve to 11-0.

Allen set a new career-high with 181 yards against the Spartans, along with two touchdowns, on 25 carries. The huge performance put him just 139 yards away from passing Evan Royster’s record for career rushing yards in program history.

This was the first Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award for a Penn State player since tight end Tyler Warren won it on Nov. 18, 2024. The now-Indianapolis Colts star recorded 127 receiving yards with a touchdown and 63 rushing yards with a score — both leading Penn State — in a win over Purdue.

Dennis-Sutton recorded two sacks of MSU quarterback Alessio Milivojevic among five total Nittany Lions sacks. According to PFF, he recorded 12 pressures in the win, five more than any other player nationally this week.

It was his first multi-sack game of the season.

He also blocked a punt, his third of the season, to tie a program record with Jack Ham and Andre Collins.

It was the first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor for a Penn State player since Abdul Carter earned it on Sept. 30, 2024. Carter, now with the New York Giants, recorded seven tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in a win over Illinois.