A pair of Nebraska standouts were honored by the Big Ten Conference on Monday for their performance in the Huskers’ win over Iowa.

Sophomore safety Nate Gerry was honored as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week, while freshman punt returner De’Mornay Pierson-El was the co-Special Teams Player of the Week.

Gerry led Nebraska with a career-high 15 tackles, including 10 solo stops and 2.5 tackles for loss. Gerry also had a first-quarter interception for his fifth pick in Big Ten Conference games. Gerry’s play led a Nebraska defense that held Iowa to punts on five consecutive second-half possessions to fuel NU’s comeback.

Pierson-El was a game-changer in the punt return department. Pierson-El had three punt returns for 134 yards, all in the second half. His 42-yard punt return set up a Nebraska touchdown to cut the deficit to 24-21. Pierson-El followed with an 80-yard punt return for a score to give Nebraska a 28-24 advantage early in the fourth quarter. Pierson-El has a nation-leading 589 punt return yards this season, the most by any player in the FBS ranks since 2008.

Pierson-El’s honor was his second of the season. He was also named Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance at Fresno State, which included an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown.

The Big Ten Conference will announce its all-conference teams and individual award winners this evening, with BTN providing coverage of the announcement beginning at5 p.m. CT.