Royston is Co-Defensive Player of the Week

MINNEAPOLIS University of Minnesota safety Kim Royston's last play as a Gopher football player was a sack Saturday against Illinois. Two days later, the senior earned Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors. Royston, a Minneapolis native, also recorded 13 tackles and had a pass breakup in the Gophers' 27-7 win against the Illini. He finished his senior year with 123 tackles, the most by a Gophers player since Jack Brewer had 155 tackles in 2001. Royston also became the first Minnesota player to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors since Garrett Brown in November of 2009. A sixth-year senior, Royston originally enrolled at Wisconsin before transferring to Minnesota after his sophomore year. He broke his leg last spring, prior to what would have been his senior year, and was granted a medical redshirt and a sixth year of eligibility. "I'm just extremely happy for my last play to be a sack instead of my last play being a broken leg," Royston said after Saturday's win. "I just feel extremely blessed."