Anthony Nelson entered the game against Miami (OH) as a co-starter. Not a ton was expected from the redshirt freshman in his first game but, with a depleted linebacker core, Nelson stepped up. Nelson recorded six total tackles, 2.5 sacks and forced two fumbles.
The Hawkeyes defense, as expected, was far from midseason shape. They did force three fumbles, though, recovering all three. Nelson was in the middle of two of them as it seemed like every time he hit Miami (OH) quarterback Billy Bahl, Bahl fumbled.
There were a lot of great performances by other freshmen around the Big Ten in week one, but Nelson is very deserving of this honor.