SIOUX CITY, Iowa – For the third time this season, a Northwestern College football player has been tabbed Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Player of the Week. Freshman Ben Egli picks up the first defensive Player of the Week honors for the Red Raiders this season, the conference office announced this morning.
Egli (Fr., Fort Dodge, Iowa) continues to make a name for himself in the red and white in just his freshman campaign.
On Saturday, the freshman led the team with nine tackles, recording six solo tackles. The mark set a new career-high for tackles in a contest, previously set at five in his first-career start at Doane (Oct. 22). The team recorded 10 tackles for loss in the contest, as Egli contributed one tackle for loss. To wrap up the third quarter, he picked off a pass at the Midland 31-yard line and weaved his way into the end zone for the final Raider score of the day, making it 42-3 at the time.
His efforts also led him to be named the Scooter’s Coffee Player of the Game, as the Red Raider defense held an opponent to 10 or less points for the eighth-straight game, the entirety of their winning streak.
On the season, the freshman has played in eight of the nine games and sits in a three-way tie for fifth on the team in tackles with his 23.0. Last week marked his third-career start, and his interception gave him the team lead with three on the season – all coming in the last three weeks as a starting linebacker. Additionally, he has recorded two tackles for loss and one sack.
Egli becomes the third Red Raider to garner weekly accolades for Northwestern this season, and the first defensive honor of the season. He joins quarterbacks Jalyn Gramstad (So., Lester, Iowa) and Blake Fryar (Sr., Waukee, Iowa) in the list of honorees on the year.
