First-Team Defense for Week 8 in college football
Which defensive players made the first-team Team of the Week for Week 8?
EDGE: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
The best player in college football put on a show for the national TV audience on Saturday. Kayvon Thibodeaux was everything he was cracked up to be, and the nation saw a dominant performance. He finished with 2 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, 8 solo tackles, but that tells only half the story. Thibodeaux routinely disrupted UCLA’s offensive game plan and had at least double-digits in total pressures.
DI: Dante Stills, West Virginia
Dante Stills and the Mountaineers got a much-needed victory on Saturday, shutting the door on TCU in the second half. WVU received a vintage performance from Stills, who pushed the pocket with ease and pursued ball carriers extremely well down the line of scrimmage. He recorded a sack and multiple tackles for loss in the victory.
DI: Judge Culpepper, Toledo
The son of former NFLer Brad Culpepper and brother of former Syracuse QB Rex Culpepper, Judge has more than made a name for himself this season. After two years at Penn State, Judge’s first year at Toledo has been what you’d expect it to be: dominant. He recorded a sack in the outing against Western Michigan, but his presence was felt on more than one occasion. Culpepper was terrific up the interior for the Rockets as they stymied Western Michigan’s aerial attack.
EDGE: Kyler Laing, Buffalo
The Bulls’ defense was an immovable object just the same, as they were an unstoppable force on Saturday. They allowed just 75 passing yards, and a huge portion of that was because Akron quarterbacks were running for their lives more often than not. The Bulls racked up 11 combined sacks between them, 3.5 of which belonged to Kyler Laing. He was dominant off the edge and had at least a half-dozen more pressures in the dominant showing.
LB: SirVocea Dennis, Pittsburgh
Making a highlight-reel play is one way to land on Team of the Week, but SirVocea Dennis played a beautiful game all afternoon long for Pittsburgh. Stamping his top-linebacker-of-the-week candidacy with a pick-six, Dennis was in perfect position to grab a shovel pass from Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei and return it 50 yards for a touchdown.
Though Dennis said he was in the right place at the right time following the game, it was clear that his instincts and athleticism got him in the right position for the pick — and every other play he made on Saturday.
LB: Antonio Grier, USF
All Antonio Grier does is make plays for USF, who seems to have finally turned a corner under head coach Jeff Scott. Grier racked up a sack but played his best football in coverage against Temple. Patrolling the middle with ease, Grier made his second interception of the season while limiting Owls receivers to nothing after the catch.
LB: Avery Roberts, Oregon State
A tackling machine, Avery Roberts recorded 16 tackles against Utah. He was around the line of scrimmage all game long, stymying the Utes’ rushing attack while moving sideline to sideline against the pass with ease. Roberts finished the game with a tackle for loss, a QB hurry on a blitz, and made multiple stops in coverage.
CB: DJ James, Oregon
The Ducks’ defense was on fire for portions of the game against UCLA. DJ James was no different. He recorded 2 interceptions against the Bruins, reading QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson‘s eyes with ease. James creatively broke on the football multiple times as well, recording another pass breakup in addition to his 2 picks. Add in his 8 total tackles, and you’ve got another lock-down cornerback performance from the Ducks.
CB: Davonte Brown, UCF
Putting Memphis backup QB Peter Parrish through the wringer, UCF intercepted the Tigers’ signal-caller 3 times on Friday night. Davonte Brown had 1 of those INTs, making multiple other plays in coverage to warrant his spot on our Team of the Week. Brown hardly allowed any yards in his coverage and made multiple pass breakups to boot. It was a dominant effort from the UCF secondary.
CB: Tyreek Chappell, Texas A&M
Speaking of dominating efforts, Tyreek Chappell and the Aggies limited South Carolina to just 114 yards through the air on Saturday night. Chappell intercepted South Carolina QB Jason Brown once, recorded another pass breakup, and was hardly tested after that. For good reason, of course, as he was stingy in coverage all night long.
S: Malik Moore, BYU
Malik Moore made an interception on an overthrown ball, but he was in the right position to do so. Sort of like he was all game long for the Cougars. It didn’t matter if there were errant throws or not, Moore was routinely spotted breaking up or stopping anything Washington State threw at them. He finished with multiple PBUs and a handful of tackles in a solid performance.
S: Joey Blount, Virginia
Joey Blount was all over the field for the Cavs’ defense on Saturday, even if they did allow 40 points to Georgia Tech. He recorded an interception and made 8 total tackles, commonly spotted stopping Yellow Jackets before reaching the first-down sticks. Blount has continued to impress in his fifth season at UVA.
FLEX: Clarence Hicks, UTSA
Clarence Hicks and the Roadrunners improved to a perfect 8-0, with a dominant effort against Louisiana Tech. A relative unknown to their star-studded defense, Hicks has made his presence known this season. He’s a dynamic pass rusher who can also drop back in coverage with great success. Each of those elite traits were in action, but his pass-rushing abilities were highlight-reel worthy, ripping through the Bulldogs’ offensive line with ease. He finished with 2.5 total sacks and 2 more QB hurries in the victory.
Punter: Matt Araiza, San Diego State
Araiza doubles down on Team of the Week honors, as San Diego State’s punter also earns Honorable Mention as a placekicker. Araiza helped the Aztecs get to 7-0 by making all 4 of his kick attempts, but it was his 81-yard punt that took headlines.
He completely flipped the field with his ridiculously talented deep punt that was unlike the majority of long punts fans witness. The ball traveled well over 65 yards in the air and rolled even a few more to accomplish the 81 yards. He flipped the ball from their own end zone to inside the Bulldogs’ 20-yard line with a single kick.
Second-Team Defense
EDGE: David Perales, Fresno State
DI: Chidozie Nwankwo, Houston
DI: Cam Goode, UCF
EDGE: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
LB: Isaac Slade-Matautia, SMU
LB: Kadofi Wright, Buffalo
LB: Noah Sewell, Oregon
CB: Aapri Washington, Buffalo
CB: Deuce Harmon, Texas A&M
CB: Cortez Davis, Hawaii
S: Jaiden Woodbey, Boston College
S: Khoury Bethley, Hawaii
FLEX: Darius Muasau, Hawaii
Punter: Race Porter, Washington
Honorable Mention Defense
EDGE: David Anenih, Houston
DI: Caleb Thomas, UL-Monroe
DI: Daymond Williams, Buffalo
EDGE: Viliami Fehoko, San Jose State
LB: Jack Gibbens, Minnesota
LB: Chase Jones, Wake Forest
LB: Drake Thomas, NC State
CB: Josh Newton, UL-Monroe
CB: Corey Thornton, UCF
CB: Darrell Luter Jr., South Alabama
S: Keilos Swinney, UL-Monroe
S: Asa Turner, Washington
FLEX: Collin Wilder, Wisconsin
Punter: Kirk Christodoulou, Pittsburgh