You said "Mike Diesel" was the man of the match against Ball State; the Big Ten agreed and thought he was one of the two best defensive players in the conference this week (along with Michigan State's Greg Jones):
CO-DEFENSE:
Mike Daniels, Iowa
JR, DT, Blackwood, N.J./Highland Regional
Daniels recorded four tackles for loss, including a seven-yard sack, to help Iowa blank Ball State in a 45-0 victory. The junior defensive tackle collected six tackles on the day, and his four tackles for loss pushed the offense back 20 yards. He was part of a defense that collected two takeaways and allowed only 56 passing yards, the second-fewest yards through the air allowed in 11-plus years under head coach Kirk Ferentz. The New Jersey native collects weekly laurels for the first time in his career.
LAST IOWA DEFENSIVE POW: LB Troy Johnson on Nov. 22, 2009.
Then again, all we're discovering now is what Daniels' Iowa teammates have been trying to tell us since August:
Daniels did a commendable job as a sub last season. This August, Binns insisted to reporters that Daniels would be a force this year, saying he "only has one mode, and that’s beast mode."
Daniels notched the first sack of the season for the Hawkeyes in the opener against Eastern Illinois. Iowa offensive lineman Nolan MacMillan turned to Vandervelde on the sideline and said: "At least we’re not the only line in the country that can’t block big Mike Diesel."
No, you certainly aren't the only offensive line in the country that can't block Mike Diesel. The going gets tougher from here on out, but Daniels has been blowing plays up from the tackle spot all year: Saturday was just his coming out party and his flashiest performance yet. We can't wait to see what he does for an encore.