Eastern Michigan Athletics
Merritt Named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week
10/16/2023 11:01:00 AM | Football
Defensive lineman had a career day against Kent State, including eight tackles and three TFLs
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – For the second week in a row, a member of the Eastern Michigan University football team has earned a weekly honor from the Mid-American Conference with defensive lineman Alex Merritt (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) being named the MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced today, Oct. 16. The honor is the first in Merritt's career and the fifth athletic award garnered by the EMU program in 2023.
Merritt tallied a career-high eight tackles in Eastern Michigan's 28-14 win over Kent State, Oct. 14. Merritt, who entered the game with just three total tackles on the season, also recorded a career-high three tackles-for-loss, which is tied for the most by a MAC player this season (seventh MAC player with three TFLs in 2023). The senior lineman entered the game with just 4.5 TFLs in his career and joined teammate Chase Kline (Chardon, Ohio/Chardon/Michigan State) as the Eagles to record three TFLs in a single game this season after Kline did so Sept. 16 against Massachusetts. Additionally, Merritt was one of four players with at least eight tackles in a game that saw Eastern shut out KSU in the first half and limit the visitors to just 14 points in total.
Merritt joins Joe Sparacio (Naples, Fla./First Baptist Academy/Boston College) and Bennett Walker (San Diego, Calif./Patrick Henry/San Diego Mesa) as a MAC Defensive Player of the Week honoree in 2023 after Walker was tabbed for the accolade Sept. 18 and Sparacio earned the accolade one week ago (Oct. 9). The other honors obtained from the league this season include Mitchell Tomasek (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) earning Special Teams Player of the Week both Sept. 18 and Sept. 25, and Hamze El-Zayat (Dearborn, Mich./Fordson/Fordham) taking home the special teams honor Sept. 4. Academically, Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge/Iowa) was named the MAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Week, Oct. 10, for his achievements on and off the field.
Eastern Michigan returns to action Saturday, Oct. 21, when the Eagles head to Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Ill., to face the Northern Illinois University Huskies in a 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CT) kick on ESPN+. Along with the video stream, fans can tune in to WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer and Rob Rubick on the call.
