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Jake Hansen named Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week

Let’s let the party continue.

By Stephen Cohn
NCAA Football: Illinois at Connecticut David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Sorry that the picture for the article isn’t from Saturday’s upset victory over then-No. 6 Wisconsin.

The fact that Jake Hansen was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week on Sunday is from that win — or stems from it at least.

Hansen forced two fumbles, had 11 tackles and got to Jack Coan once in the Illini’s biggest upset in program history.

Hansen, who leads the nation with seven forced fumbles, is the first Big Ten player to have that many since Whitney Mercilus had nine in 2011.

The last Illinois player to win a National Player of the Week award? Mikel LeShoure in 2010.

On to Purdue.