Gophers Blake Cashman Earns Big Ten Defensive Award

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Blake Cashman had a big day defensively as the Gopher football team beat Northwestern 29-12 on Saturday in its last regular season home game.

Cashman, a sophomore linebacker from Eden Prairie, was named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Cashman had a career-high 10 tackles, including nine solo tackles and two sacks.

He also forced a fumble midway through the first quarter of the Gophers' victory. It's his first career award and he's the first Gopher to earn it since Briean Boddy-Calhoun on Nov. 24, 2014.

The Gophers end the regular season Saturday, traveling to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers in the battle for Paul Bunyan's Ax.