Donovan Woolen

Moving on to Defensive Player of the Year, I think right now it's a two-horse race.

There's definitely some other guys in the mix, but right now I think it's North Dakota State's linebacker Donovan Woolen and UNLV defensive back Moumou Bin Wahad.

Starting with Woolen, he's sixth in the conference with 44 tackles and also has three and a half tackles for loss and interception and three pass breakups.

Those aren't otherworldly stats by any means, but considering Woolen is the leader and heartbeat of the best defense in the country, arguably, which they reinforced again last week despite their loss, I really think that Woolen is probably the front runner for the award at this point, if nothing else, as a way to give the award to everybody in North Dakota State's defense if you wanna think of it like that.

I could see in my peripherals, I could see Kyle Frent running right down the middle, and my immediate thought was, this is going to be a nice little 18, 19-yard gainer on the first play, and this place that's rocking the way it is right now is about to go a little quieter and a little quieter and a little quieter.

Instead, the now reigning Mountain West defensive player of the week, Donovan Woolen, reads that like a book, baits the hell out of Wyoming's senior quarterback, jumps the route, picks the ball off on the very first play of the game.

And I know...

In my turning point this week, that was my turning point, throwing a pick in that hostile environment right off the bat.

Yep.

There was a play, too, where last week we were showing a play of Brooklyn Sheik.

He was kind of hesitant on the play, and honestly, if you're – Like Donovan Woolen, for instance, you're jumping that route and that's a pick six.

And instead, it's kind of being reaction.