RICHMOND — William & Mary standout sophomore linebacker John Pius was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week following a tremendous performance in the Tribe’s 34-7 victory at Lafayette.
The award marks the second consecutive week in which a W&M player has garnered the league’s top defensive honor, as redshirt freshman cornerback Jalen Jones earned the distinction after the Tribe’s win against Campbell.
Pius totaled a team-high eight tackles with 4.0 TFL and a career-high 3.5 sacks in the win. His effort helped W&M limited Lafayette to just 240 total yards, including just 48 in the second half. Additionally, the Leopards’ only points came on their opening drive.
Pius currently leads the nation in sacks (7.0) and is first in the CAA with 10.5 TFL. Additionally, the Arlington, Va., native has totaled a team-high 25 tackles.
Off to its best start since 2009, W&M will look to improve to 4-0 when it opens its conference slate against Elon at Zable Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available at TribeAthletics.com.