John Nestor’s reward Saturday for his big game in the Gophers’ 17-7 victory over Wisconsin included getting to celebrate the victory with Paul Bunyan’s Axe. On Monday, the cornerback got another award for his efforts: He was named the Big Ten’s defensive player of the week.
Nestor, a transfer from Iowa, returned from missing the previous week’s game against Northwestern by intercepting two passes, recovering a fumble and making a career-high nine tackles, including seven solo stops and two tackles for loss.
His biggest impact came in the third quarter with Wisconsin trailing 10-7 but threatening at the Minnesota 20-yard line. Nestor read Badgers quarterback Hunter Simmons’ eyes, cut in front of wide receiver Trech Kekahuna, intercepted the pass and raced 68 yards to the Wisconsin 16. Three plays later, Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey hit tight end Jameson Geers in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass and 17-7 lead.
That was Nestor’s second interception. His first, on Wisconsin’s first possession of the third quarter, came off a tipped pass by linebacker Maverick Baranowski and gave the Gophers the ball at the Badgers’ 44. In the first quarter, Nestor recovered a fumble on an errant shotgun snap by Wisconsin.
According to Stathead, entering play Saturday, no FBS player since at least 1995 has had a game like Nestor’s with at least nine tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
