First-Team Defense for Week 6 in college football
Which defensive players made the first-team Team of the Week for Week 6?
EDGE: David Ojabo, Michigan
With everyone watching Aidan Hutchinson on the other side, David Ojabo continued his dominant streak. Confirming his breakout season, Ojabo routinely got home with pressure before Hutchinson, defeating a favorable matchup on Nebraska’s left side with ease. Ojabo recorded Michigan’s lone sack but absolutely had a half-dozen pressures on the night.
DI: Dom Peterson, Nevada
You had to stay up late if you were on the East Coast, but if you did, Dom Peterson (and others) made it well worth your time. On a night that his quarterback was throwing for 6 touchdowns, Peterson recorded what felt like could’ve been 6 sacks. A constant presence up the middle of the field, Peterson won his one-on-one matchups with ease.
He sliced through the New Mexico State offensive line like a much smaller man. Peterson rolled over NMSU linemen with strength, speed, agility, and an incredibly fast get-off. It was yet another dominant effort from our back-to-back interior defensive lineman of the week on our Team of the Week.
DI: Miles Fox, Wake Forest
Had he not been facing a solid interior, Syracuse RB Sean Tucker could’ve run for 300 yards. However, Miles Fox routinely crashed the game plan for the Orange on the ground, disrupting the point of attack on both sides of the center in the process. He was quick off the ball and even quicker to bring down players behind the line of scrimmage. Fox finished with 2 tackles for loss but had at least a half-dozen pressures on Syracuse QB Garrett Shrader.
EDGE: Jeffrey Gunter, Coastal Carolina
It was back on Thursday night that Jeffrey Gunter casually threw an Arkansas State guard to the ground, knocking over a center with him, and then jumped over the discarded waste of an offensive line to make a sack. The effort was so dominant that Arkansas State QB Layne Hatcher saw Gunter coming and simply laid down, à la Brett Favre to Michael Strahan.
Yeah, when you’re compared to Michael Strahan, you’re landing on the PFN Team of the Week with ease. Gunter had 3 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a dominant night all over the field.
LB: Clarence Hicks, UTSA
Against an Air Raid-principle offense, underneath linebackers are going to be tasked with multiple routes from many different receivers in coverage. Clarence Hicks handled all those routes with relative ease and stood tall in the face of WKU’s aerial assault. In fact, he intercepted a pass, had a quarterback hurry, another pass breakup, and 2 total tackles in what became a rock-solid effort towards the team victory.
LB: Nakobe Dean, Georgia
Much like most of Georgia’s starters, Nakobe Dean didn’t have to finish the game against Auburn. That’s how dominant this Georgia team has become. Dean recorded 5 total tackles as he patrolled sideline to sideline. His biggest impact came when he intercepted Auburn QB Bo Nix early in the game after Auburn was looking to potentially go up 2 scores.
LB: Ivan Pace Jr., Miami (OH)
Ivan Pace has been on my radar since his 4-sack performance against Akron back in 2019 as a true freshman. While he didn’t play to that level in Week 6, Pace was still as impressive as ever. The team victory didn’t follow, but Pace made his impact in more ways than one against Eastern Michigan.
Recording 12 total tackles, Pace rarely allowed EMU’s receivers or running backs to get past the first-down sticks. He was terrific in coverage against a variety of pass catchers that came through his zone, even grabbing an interception on Eastern Michigan’s first drive of the game that set the tone in this defensive battle.
CB: Travon Fuller, Tulsa
You had to know it would be a challenge for the Golden Hurricane to replace both Akayleb Evans and Allie Green this season. Former Texas A&M defensive back Travon Fuller just so happens to be up to that challenge — and maybe even more. He was dominant against Memphis and true freshman quarterback Seth Henigan.
Locking down his side of the field, Fuller recorded 4 total tackles, not allowing anything after the catch while recording 3 pass breakups. It was a terrific outing for a Tulsa secondary in desperate need of a great performance.
CB: Jack Jones, Arizona State
If it feels like Jack Jones has been at Arizona State for a long time, it’s because, well, he has. He’s been in college for a long time, as the former USC transfer is truly one of the nation’s super-seniors. Back for his sixth year, Jones made yet another game-changing impact for the Sun Devils.
Though heavily targeted, Jones was hardly beat in coverage against Stanford. He recorded 2 pass breakups and 1 of 3 Tanner McKee interceptions. It took dramatic, highlight-reel-worthy catches for Stanford to move the ball for much of the night against Jones and Co. in the secondary.
CB: Kaonohi Kaniho, Boise State
Kaonohi Kaniho and the Broncos did what no team could do this season — take the lead on BYU. They also bounced the Cougars from the ranks of the unbeaten, thanks in part to key takeaways. Thanks to a heavy first-half mist/rain combination, the ball was on the turf on back-to-back plays at one point. Kaniho was the man on the spot and always seemed to be around the football.
He iced the game with his interception of Jaren Hall’s ill-fated, last-ditch effort heave in the fourth quarter, but he was dominant across the board. He racked up 5 total tackles, a pass breakup, and his game-sealing interception.
S: Rashad Wisdom, UTSA
Safety help over the top against the Western Kentucky aerial attack is crucial. On a night that they were tested 60 times, the Roadrunners’ defense came up big in crunch time. For UTSA, Rashad Wisdom is crunch time.
Epitomizing UTSA’s Triangle of Toughness, the story of Wisdom is something to behold. Against WKU, he recorded a ridiculous 13 total tackles. Wisdom patrolled the middle and kept many passes from reaching the first-down sticks or the end zone. He even got home with pressure on a perfectly-timed blitz.
S: George Hicks III, Washington State
As athletic as they come, George Hicks put his athleticism to good use with one of the day’s more impressive moments. Closing to the sidelines, Hicks jumped a route and skied for a full-extension interception that turned the momentum back in the Cougars’ favor.
For the day, Hicks recorded a team-high 10 total tackles, including a tackle for loss. He made a handful of other plays on the ball to go with his impressive interception. It was truly a performance worthy of a spot on the Team of the Week.
FLEX: Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU
Doing his uncle (LaDainian Tomlinson) proud, Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is more than making a name for himself at TCU. It was Hodges-Tomlinson’s pick-six that really pushed this game out of hand and started the rout. He quickly picked up on a Henry Colombi pass to the sidelines, jumping the route and racing down the sidelines for a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Hodges-Tomlinson had 4 total tackles on the day as well as a few more forced incompletions.
Punter: Tory Taylor, Iowa
In a brilliant display of punting, Tory Taylor was absolutely the MVP of the Iowa vs. Penn State game. Flipping the field on more than one occasion, Taylor punted 9 times for 398 yards, an average of 44.2 yards per punt.
What made his day so special and worthy of his spot on the Team of the Week was his effort in flipping the field and pinning Penn State deep. Of Taylor’s 9 punts, 6 of them were downed inside the 20-yard line. In fact, Taylor had 5 of those 6 punts downed inside the 10, and 3 more inside the 5-yard line. Due to Taylor’s punts, Penn State had drives starting at their own 1-, 2-, 3-, 8-(twice), and 12-yard lines.
Second-Team Defense
EDGE: Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
DI: Jalen Carter, Georgia
DI: Jaxon Player, Tulsa
EDGE: Kameron Butler, Miami OH
LB: Darian Beavers, Cincinnati
LB: Amari Gainer, Florida State
LB: Chad Muma, Wyoming
CB: Daxton Hill, Michigan
CB: Riley Moss, Iowa
CB: Jalen Pitre, Baylor
S: Tariq Drake, Ohio
S: Jaquan Brisker, Penn State
FLEX: Trey Dean III, Florida
Punter: Michael Turk, Oklahoma
Honorable Mention Defense
EDGE: Alex Wright, UAB
DI: Simeon Barrow, Michigan State
DI: Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Notre Dame
EDGE: Tyler Johnson, Arizona State
LB: Payton Wilgar, BYU
LB: Joel Dublanko, Cincinnati
LB: Jack Campbell, Iowa
CB: Coby Bryant, Cincinnati
CB: Jeremiah Lewis, Duke
CB: Dorian Jackson, Western Michigan
S: Troy Lefeged Jr., Texas State
S: Jonathan Alexander, Charlotte
FLEX: Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska
Punter: Brad Robbins, Michigan