Watt leads conference honors on defense

Six on unit make all-Big Ten teams

Madison — T.J. Watt’s first season as a starter for Wisconsin has gone as well as anyone could have imagined.

On Tuesday, the redshirt junior from Pewaukee was named a firstteam All-Big Ten Conference linebacker by both the coaches and media.

He was one of six UW defensive players honored.

Senior cornerback Sojourn Shelton was a firstteam pick by the media and second team pick by coaches. Linebacker Vince Biegel, a redshirt senior from Wisconsin Rapids, was named to the second team by coaches and third team by the media. Third-team picks were senior safety Leo Musso (media); junior safety D’Cota Dixon (media) and junior defensive end Conor Sheehy (coaches).

The Big Ten is scheduled to announce its offensive awards Wednesday.

Watt finished the regular season third in the Big Ten in sacks (9 1⁄2) and tied for seventh in tackles for loss (13). He leads UW in both categories, as well as quarterback hurries (10), and is fourth on the team in tackles with 55.

Shelton, from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is third in the league in passes defended with 16 — four interceptions and 12 broken up.

Biegel, who missed two games after undergoing foot surgery, has three sacks, five tackles for loss and a total of 31 tackles. Biegel was a consensus third-team pick last season.

Musso has five interceptions, tied for the No. 2 mark in the league. Dixon has four interceptions. Sheehy has 27 total tackles, four tackles for loss and 21⁄2 sacks.

In other Big Ten awards Tuesday, Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers was named the top defensive player, linebacker and return specialist.

Ohio State’s Tyquan Lewis was defensive lineman of the year, while Michigan’s Jourdan Lewis was defensive back of the year.

Cameron Johnston of Ohio State was the league’s top punter and Minnesota’s Emmit Carpenter the top kicker.