Players To Watch: Big Ten

In the Players To Watch series Quick Slants will be bringing to your attention a player from the offense and defence of every team in a selected conference. These players may not be the best or most recognisable on their teams, but they will be key contributors for the upcoming 2012 season. We start with the Big Ten conference:

Illinois
Offense - QB Nathan Scheelhaase - The Fighting Illini's offense will go as their junior quarterback goes. The Missouri native failed to progress as much as was expected in his sophomore year, with his TD:Int ratio dropping from 17:8 to 13:8, whilst his rushing numbers decreased from his freshman year. Over the first 6 games he was responsible for 14 touchdowns and Illinois were 6-0; over the final 7 games he was responsible for just 5 touchdowns and Illinois were 1-6. Clearly he is the key to the offense and he will have little help - there are no proven running backs and AJ Jenkins, who caught 90 balls in 2011, is now in the NFL.

Defence - LB Jonathan Brown - Brown is rather unheralded and is over-shadowed on his own defense by players such as DT Akeem Spence and DE Michael Buchanan who have more name recognition, but Brown is a dynamic player in his own right. As a sophomore in 2011 Brown was a statistical machine for the Illinois defense; he racked up 100 tackles, 19.5 for loss, 6 sacks and an interception. Brown should get more coverage this year for his stellar work at linebacker, he is definitely one to watch.

Indiana
Offense - QB Tre Roberson - Roberson added a spark once he took over the starting role in 2011. It wasn't enough to actually get a win for the Hoosiers, but he definitely gave Indiana fans someone to be excited about. His dual-threat ability means teams have to account for him in both phases of the offense, though he really needs this offseason to upgrade his performance in the passing game. Roberson could be the spark the Hoosiers need to turn around from their 1-11 2011 season.

Defence - S Mark Murphy - On a very average unit safety Mark Murphy stood out in his true freshman year. Playing both safety and outside linebacker, he led the team in tackles with a total of 76 whilst also returning an interception for a touchdown. Murphy showed great promise and was named to a few All-Big Ten Freshman teams for 2011. Murphy should step up to be a leader on Indiana's struggling D in 2012. He is the son of former Green Bay Packers safety Mark Murphy.

Iowa
Offense - WR Keenan Davis - Iowa's traditionally strong running game is in transition, as such, their most valuable asset on offense right now is QB James Vandenberg. The big question is who is going to throw to without departed WR Marvin McNutt? Davis was the #2 receiver last year with 50 catches for 713 yards and 4 TDs, now he must show he can be a #1 receiver and replace McNutt's production or Iowa are going nowhere fast. At 6'3" and 215lbs Davis has the size to trouble most cornerbacks he will face. He must now prove he can be the focal point of an offense, and not just someone who benefits from better players drawing attention away from him.

Defence - S Nico Law - Law played very little in 2011, but after a great spring he is expected to become a starter at the safety position for the Hawkeyes. The reason Law has been chosen as the player to watch, despite having limited playing experience, is because of his potential to be a destroyer in the defensive backfield. He lit up his own team-mates in the spring game and flashed a physical presence that the Iowa defence was missing last year. The sophomore could be a very exciting player for the Hawkeyes, one who can change the momentum of a game with one hit.

Michigan
Offense - RB Fitzgerald Toussaint - Quarterback Denard Robinson is clearly the most important player for the Wolverines, but we all know that, so we're showcasing Michigan's starting running back. As a sophomore in 2011 Toussaint ran for 1041 yards and 9 touchdowns at 5.6 ypc. He provided a vital supporting role to Robinson in the run game and picked up five 100-yard performances over the course of the season. I expect to see the ball handed off to him just a little more this season - to take some of the pressure off Robinson's shoulders - and with it expect a decent season from an efficient back who proved towards the end of 2012 he could handle 20+ carries per game.

Defence - LB Jake Ryan - Ryan flashed excellent ability as an outside linebacker for the Wolverines in 2011. He was just a redshirt freshamn, but he compiled 37 tackles, 11 of which went for a loss, and 3 sacks. Ryan produced his biggest game in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech, where he made 7 tackles, 4 for a loss, and a sack. As a sophomore, Ryan has the potential to become a key play-maker on an improving defence. He was named on the All-Big Ten Freshman team.

Michigan State
Offense - RB Le'Veon Bell - With Kirk Cousins and the top 3 receivers from Michigan State all graduating after 2011 the passing game will be a huge question in 2012. This means we will see a lot of Bell, a 6'2", 240lb beast, running the ball. He has already compiled over 1500 yards and 21TDs in his two years as a backup, and last year his elevated play pretty much forced fellow running back Edwin Baker to turn pro. Bell will be relied on whilst Andrew Maxwell gets used to be the quarterback, thus he should put up pretty decent numbers in 2012.

Defence - LB Denicos Allen - The junior may well be the best defender on what is a fairly strong Spartan defence. Allen amassed 83 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks from the SAM 'backer spot in 2011, his first year as a starter. There are more recognisable names on this defence such as DE William Gholston, but Allen knows how to get into the backfield and make just be MSU's premier talent on this side of the ball.

Minnesota
Offense - QB MarQueis Gray - On a pretty bad team senior quarterback MarQueis Gray is the only difference-maker on offense. He is a pretty average thrower, but uses his legs to good effect - he was the top rusher for Minnesota with 966 yards and 6 touchdowns. This year he needs to be a more efficient passer, and he needs to improve without top target Da'Jon McKnight who graduated after the 2011 season. If anyone is going to do anything exciting on this poor Golden Gopher team it will be Gray, so he is Minnesota's one to watch.

Defence - DE Michael Amaefula - This sophomore is set for a break-out year at defensive end. Whilst he didn't play all that regularly as a freshman, a good spring, concluded with a spring game in which he made 2 sacks, means that this young end from Arlington, Texas could be the one to watch on a fairly average unit.

Nebraska
Offense - QB Taylor Martinez - Martinez has been much maligned as Nebraska's quarterback, despite leading the team to 19 wins as freshman and sophomore. The team will be strong on the ground, where Martinez compliments RB Rex Burkhead well, but Martinez should be throwing it a little more too, with WR Kenny Bell and TE Kyler Reed excellent, if under-utilised, targets. To get Nebraska over the hump and into a BCS Martinez's all round play must improve, and that is why he is the one to watch.

Defence - DE Cameron Meredith - On a defense devoid of any real star names after the depature of Lavonte David and Jared Crick, Meredith really needs to step up. The Cornhuskers struggled to get to the quarterback in 2011 with just 21 sacks, of which Meredith had 5. Whilst he produced a respectable 58 tackles from the end position, Meredith needs to lead the charge to the QB and the senior, originally from California, needs a big year to boost his draft stock. In most scouts eyes he is a run stopping end, but if he can get close to double-digit sacks in 2012 he might be able to change that perception.

Northwestern
Offense - QB Kain Colter - Colter is a dynamic weapon for the Wildcats. Last season he played quarterback, saw time at running back, and even played as a wide receiver at times. Colter's athleticism meant he just could not be kept off the field. In 2012 the junior will get a shot to apply his athleticism to the quarterback position like Mike Kafka and Dan Persa before him. Colter will be a dangerous dual threat to defend for opposing defences, but he must improve his passing ability - he can be rather erratic at times. Northwestern have normally had quite exciting offenses in recent times, hopefully Colter will continue this trend.

Defence - S Ibraheim Campbell - Campbell was a shining light on a defense that was pretty poor in 2011. He led the team in tackles with 100, whilst adding 2 interceptions and 4 passes broken up as a freshman starter. He was a freshman All-American for his efforts in 2011. As a sophomore he can only improve, but he must take on a leadership role in a young defensive backfield.

Ohio State
Offense - QB Braxton Miller - Miller will be the key to Urban Meyer's spread offense working how it should. Miller was limited as a true freshman, despite taking the role of starter in the middle of the season. His rushing ability is excellent - in three of his last five games he has gone over 100 yards - but his passing ability is questionable, as is shown by his poor numbers from 2011. Meyer's spread should help make the passing game easier for him though, and Miller could quickly become the premier offensive player in the conference if everything comes together.

Defence - DL John Simon - Simon is a beast on the defensive line for the Buckeyes, and is a physical freak. At 6'2", 270lbs he isn't the largest, but he is one of the most focused and intense players around. Urban Meyer referred to him as 'Tebow-ish' in his drive in the weight room and in preparation. The senior had an excellent 2011 with 53 tackles, 16 for loss and 7 sacks, he will need to keep that kind of performance up in 2012 to help the Buckeyes get back on track.

Penn State
Offense - RB Silas Redd - Redd is pretty much the only proven thing PSU have at the offensive skill positions, thus in 2012 fans will be seeing Redd, Redd, and more Redd. In this case it won't be a bad thing, either. In 2011 he produced 1241 yards and 7 TDs at 5ypc, but he tailed off towards the end of the year, most likely due to tiredness. As a junior we will only see those numbers increase, he should be a lock for 1300 and 10+ touchdowns if he doesn't get injured.

Defence - LB Gerald Hodges - This senior outside linebacker isn't a big name, but he was very productive in 2011 and should continue that trend in 2012. He made 106 tackles, 10 for a loss, with 4.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, a performance that gained him a place on the All-Big Ten team voted by the conference's coaches. As a converted safety he has the sideline-to-sideline range, and will almost certainly be drafted if he has another good season.

Purdue
Offense - QB Caleb TerBush - This senior quarterback should beat out Robert Marve to start for the Boilermakers in 2012. A marginal dual-threat type of QB he managed to lead Purdue to 7 wins in 2011, despite not having any real playmakers in the offense alongside him. Purdue will go as he goes, and it will be interesting to see if he can lead them back to a bowl game in 2012.

Defence - DT Kawann Short - This senior defensive tackle is getting all sorts of hype about his NFL ability, and he is far and away the best player on the Purdue defence. A disruptive force from the middle, Short made 54 tackles, 17.5 for a loss and 6.5 sacks in 2011. Short should be just as good in 2012, and if you want to see a first round NFL DT in action I recommend watching a Purdue game!

Wisconsin
Offense - QB Danny O'Brien - Montee Ball is the best player on the offense, of that there is no doubt, but the key to success for Wisconsin will be having a quarterback who can keep the defence honest with perfectly executed play action passes. This means that O'Brien, should he win the job, has to come in and produce. Not to a Russell Wilson level - he broke all sorts of Badgers QB records - but to a competent level that will allow Wisconsin to do what they do best: run the ball and control the clock.

Defence - LB Chris Borland - Borland was a top performer for the Wisconsin defence in 2012. Fellow linebacker Mike Taylor may have made more tackles, but Borland produced more momentum changing plays. He finished with 143 tackles, 19 for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 interceptions and 5 forced fumbles, good enough for All-Big Ten first team honours as a sophomore. There shouldn't be any drop-off for the Wisconsin defence in 2012, and Taylor and Borland should be one of the best LB pairings in the country once again.