First-Team Defense
Which distinguished defensive players found themselves on Week 0’s Team of the Week?
EDGE: Pheldarius Payne, Nebraska
It wasn’t the result anyone from Nebraska was hoping for to start the season, but some individual performances stood out. Payne was one of them — he was a consistent force on passing downs. Rushing from his outside linebacker position, Payne recorded 2 sacks as he was far too fast for the experienced offensive line at Illinois.
Payne should be a force to be reckoned with this season for Nebraska if he keeps up this consistent level of play. He chipped in with 3 more tackles in the run game to land on our Team of the Week.
DI: Roderick Perry II, Illinois
Eating up the middle of the Nebraska offensive line, Perry was seemingly unstoppable at times. He recorded a sack on his pass rushes and 2 solo tackles in the run game. Perry constantly ate up double-teams on the inside and pushed the pocket back for at least 2 more QB hurries in the process.
DI: Datona Jackson, UCLA
One of Saturday’s most athletic plays belongs to Jackson, who finished with 3 total tackles and a half-sack on the afternoon. It was his one-handed interception that jumped off the screen, literally, though. Jackson read a screen perfectly, dropped back off his pass rush, and leaped into the air to make the picture-perfect interception.
EDGE: Arron Mosby, Fresno State
Mosby recorded the college football season’s first defensive touchdown against UConn. He stripped QB Jack Zergiotis, recovered his own forced fumble, and rumbled 31 yards downfield for the game’s opening touchdown. He recorded another QB hurry and 2 more solo tackles in a short afternoon’s worth of work.
LB: Calvin Hart Jr., Illinois
The most impressive player on the field against Nebraska, Hart was quite literally everywhere on Saturday for the Illini. He recorded 6 total tackles, 1 sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 QB hurry, and 1 defensive touchdown on the afternoon, but that doesn’t even tell the whole story. He was a consistent force in the backfield, patrolling the middle of the field and against the run.
Hart spied QB Adrian Martinez with relative ease as the Nebraska QB broke contain just once — it was without Hart on the field. He recorded an impressive scoop and score that gave Illinois the lead heading into halftime, running it back 41 yards with just 0:37 left on the clock.
LB: Kyle Harmon, San Jose State
Harmon patrolled the short area of the field with relative and impressive ease against Southern Utah. With Harmon leading the charge in coverage, the Spartans held Southern Utah to just 4.5 yards per pass attempt on the evening.
Harmon led the game’s tacklers with 9 total tackles, including 1 TFL. He also recorded a pass breakup and a QB hurry on one of just a handful of blitzes. Harmon was all over, landing firmly on our Team of the Week.
LB: Jake Hansen, Illinois
As expected, Hansen flew over the field, racking up the total tackles. He chipped in with multiple assists, but his play across the middle altered the Cornhuskers’ game plan. Hansen routinely patrolled the short area of the field, forcing Martinez to find another read or scramble. Hansen’s level of play was at top form.
CB: Mo Osling III, UCLA
Osling gets the nod at cornerback after playing the majority of his snaps outside. He matched up against Hawaii’s gauntlet of receivers in Nick Mardner and Aaron Cephus as well as RB Calvin Turner out of the backfield. He led the team with 5 solo tackles and chipped in with 2 pass breakups to boot.
CB: Justin Houston, Fresno State
An impressive debut to his sophomore season, Houston played Fresno State’s “Husky” position brilliantly. He recorded 4 total tackles but made his biggest impact in coverage. Targeted just twice, Houston recorded a pass breakup with incredible closing speed and moved sideline to sideline beautifully to tackle RB Brian Brewton for just a 1-yard gain.
At 6’4, 193 pounds, Houston should start to gain national notoriety if he keeps up this level of play in Fresno State’s Husky role.
CB: Jay Shaw, UCLA
By all accounts, Shaw had a slow day in the sense that he didn’t tick the stat sheet for more than a tackle and an interception. But for Shaw, he saw just one pass his way, intercepted it, and saw one run his direction, making a run stuff in the process. Shaw kicked off Year 4 at UCLA with an impressive showing in coverage and against the run.
S: Tony Adams, Illinois
Adams was all over the field for the Fighting Illini in their season-opening victory against Nebraska. He recorded 11 total tackles, including a whopping 10 solo tackles to lead the country. Adams quite literally played the safety position perfectly in Week 0, not letting anything behind him and keeping big plays from happening.
S: Tre White, San Jose State
Logging snaps all over the field for the Spartans, White was integral in keeping Southern Utah’s passing attack at bay. He recorded 5 total tackles and a pass breakup in coverage, playing a hybrid role for SJSU. With a pass breakup to his credit, White has already matched his single-season career-high PBU total. Expect to see and hear more from White in 2021.
Flex: Josh Caldwell, UTEP
Caldwell looked terrific outside for UTEP. He led the way with multiple pass breakups against New Mexico State. Caldwell wasn’t asked to do much in coverage. Nevertheless, when he was pressed in duty, he more than rose to the occasion.
Punter: Blake Hayes, Illinois
For a brief moment, Hayes was the star of college football. His perfectly placed coffin corner punt that knocked Nebraska back on their own 1-yard line was the highlight of the day (until he knocked himself down a pedestal with his next punt). Another perfectly placed punt inside Nebraska’s 5-yard line was attempted to be returned by Cornhuskers DB Cam Taylor-Britt before he slid into the end zone for the college football season’s first points.
Hayes was responsible for the season’s first points with his punt being down in the end zone for a safety. But he was more than that in this game. He booted 6 punts for a total of 272 yards, averaging 45.3 yards per kick. Hayes knocked Nebraska back inside their own 20 on 3 kicks and had 2 punts of 50 or more yards in a dominant performance.
Honorable Mention Defense
EDGE: Isaiah Gay, Illinois
DI: Kevin Atkins, Fresno State
DI: Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
EDGE: Owen Carney Jr., Illinois
LB: Nick Henrich, Nebraska
LB: Tyson Maeva, Fresno State
LB: Joshua Ferguson, New Mexico State
CB: Obi Eboh, UCLA
CB: Jeremy Lucien, UConn
CB: Wylan Free, Fresno State
S: Devin Kirkwood, UCLA
S: Stephan Blaylock, UCLA
Flex: D.J. McCullough, New Mexico State
P: Josh Carlson, New Mexico State