Jackson, Carr named All-Big Ten First Team, Thorson, Dickerson, and Doles earn All-Big Ten honors

Northwestern running back Justin Jackson was named to the All-Big Ten team by the media, and All-Big Ten second team by the coaches.

Jackson led the conference with 1,300 rushing yards, his third consecutive season over 1,100 yards. He added 12 touchdowns as well as 33 receptions, averaging over 108 yards per game on the ground.

The junior is also running into Northwestern’s history books. In the win over Illinois, Jackson passed Darnell Autry and Tyrell Sutton on the program’s all-time rushing list. He trails Damien Anderson by less than 500 yards for the record.

Joining Jackson on the All-Big Ten first team is wide receiver Austin Carr, who received the honor from both the coaches and media.

Carr, the Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year, led the conference with 84 receptions, 1,196 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Not much more needs to be said about the redshirt senior, who put together two of his more impressive games against Ohio State (8 catches for 158 yards) and Wisconsin’s elite defenses (12 catches, 132 yards, 1 touchdown). He’s one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award.

Also on the offensive side, quarterback Clayton Thorson earned consensus All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

Nobody showed more growth from last season than Thorson, who finished fourth in the Big Ten in passing with 2,968 yards. His 21 touchdowns were tied for third in the conference as well. It was a promising year for the redshirt sophomore, as he added five touchdowns on the ground.

Superback Garrett Dickerson did his best to fill Dan Vitale’s shoes, and received All-Big Ten Honorable Mention from the media.

Dickerson notched 29 catches on the season for 272 yards, but his 4 touchdowns was good for 2nd among tight ends in the conference. He emerged as Thorson’s leading red zone target behind Carr.

The fifth honoree for Northwestern is offensive guard Tommy Doles, who earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention recognition.

Doles, a redshirt sophomore, played sparingly in only six games last season. Thrust into a starting role this season, he was terrific in run-blocking and pass-protection all year. Coach Fitzgerald named Doles Offensive Big Playmaker Week 1 against Western Michigan.

Here are the complete offensive teams: