PARK RIDGE, Ill. — Michigan State’s Denicos Allen earned Big Ten Conference Player of the Week honors for his performance on Saturday against Purdue.

Allen was Co-Special Teams Player of the Week for his blocked punt that helped the Spartans rally to defeat the Boilermakers and remain atop the Big Ten standings.

Co-Special Teams:

Denicos Allen, Michigan State

FR, LB, Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton

Allen blocked a punt to help Michigan State rally from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit for a victory against Purdue. Trailing 28-13 entering the final stanza, the Spartans scored a pair of touchdowns to pull within 31-28. With just over five minutes left in the game, the freshman linebacker blocked a Boilermaker punt which was recovered by teammate Johnny Adams at the Purdue three-yard line. Two plays later, MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins scrambled three yards for the game-winning touchdown. Allen earns his first career weekly accolade.

Andrew Dailey, Penn State

JR, S, Massillon, Ohio/Washington

With the score tied in the third quarter, Dailey blocked an Indiana punt which was scooped up by teammate James Van Fleet and returned 21 yards for a touchdown to give Penn State a 31-24 lead. The Nittany Lions would add another score to end the game with a 41-24 victory. The junior safety has now blocked two punts in his career, including the most recent blocked punt by PSU against Eastern Illinois in 2009. Dailey’s block was the first rejected punt returned for a score by the Nittany Lions since the 2005 season. Dailey picks up the first weekly laurel of his career.

Freshman:

James White, Wisconsin

FR, RB, Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas

White set a career high with 181 yards on 23 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns in a victory at Michigan. The freshman running back average 7.9 yards per carry and added two receptions for 19 yards. He combined with teammate Montee Ball, who rushed for 173 yards, to become just the second pair in school history to each rush for over 150 yards in the same game. White scored his first touchdown on the day with a 61-yard sprint late in the first half before adding a 23-yard score in the third quarter. The Florida native earns his fourth Freshman of the Week accolade this season and second straight after being honored on Sept. 27, Oct. 4 and Nov. 15.