‘Lucky’ Lowery adds to Hawkeyes awards

B.J. Lowery doesn’t like to lose.

Whether it’s Monopoly or Madden 2013, the senior cornerback from Cincinnati is as competitive as it gets. So when Lowery saw teammate Kevonte Martin-Manley return two punts for touchdowns against Western Michigan, he figured it was his turn to roll double sixes.

Two interceptions and two touchdowns later, Lowery had matched Martin-Manley feats and earned Big 10 Defensive Player of the Week honors in the process. He scored on a 35-yard return with 56 seconds left in the second quarter off Tyler Van Tubbergen. His second touchdown of 13 yards came off backup Zach Terrell to start the third quarter. That made Lowery is the first Hawkeye ever with two interception return touchdowns in a game and only the second Big Ten player to do that since 1998.

“He’s just a lucky guy,” safety Tanner Miller said of Lowery’s exploits with board games and video games. “I’d like to take him to the casino with me. . . He’s got the luck of the dice in his hand.”

Lowery wasn’t the only player rolling double sixes against Western Michigan. With his two touchdowns and four total returns, Martin-Manley was just 17 yards shy of breaking the record for returns by another Hawkeye you’ve probably heard of: Nile Kinnick.

Oh, for good measure, Martin-Manley also earned Big 10 Player of the Week for special teams.

The double awards were the first for Iowa since Sept. 27, 2009, when linebacker Pat Angerer and defensive end Adrian Clayborn were honored after a 21-10 win at PennState.