Good news was tough to come by after Illinois' seventh straight loss Saturday but the Big Ten recognized one bright spot and named Illini linebacker Mason Monheim its freshman of the week.

The conference honored Monheim on Monday for his 15-tackle performance in Illinois' 17-3 loss to the Gophers. Monheim's previous high for the Illini (2-8, 0-6 Big Ten) was 11 tackles in a game.

The 6-1, 230-pound Monheim has a team-high 74 tackles this season. He also was named Big Ten freshman of the week the first week in October for his performance against Penn State.

Monheim is a native of Orrville, Ohio.