Senior defensive tackle Devonte O’Malley (Midlothian, Ill./Bremen) of the #25 Northern Illinois University football team was named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America on Tuesday for his performance in last Saturday’s 16-14 win at Notre Dame.

O’Malley had four tackles and a forced fumble against the Fighting Irish, setting a career-high with three tackles for loss. He tied a career-high with two quarterback sacks as the Huskies held Notre Dame to only 123 rushing yards and 286 yards of total offense. Through two games this season, O’Malley ranks among the top 25 players in the Football Bowl Subdivision in both tackles for loss and sacks.

The win Saturday was the Huskies’ first in program history against a top-10 opponent. It was also the first win by a Mid-American Conference opponent against Notre Dame, as well as the first by a MAC program ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

This is the first time an NIU Huskie has been named the National Defensive Player of the Week since Sept. 25, 2007. Larry English had 12 tackles and a school-record five sacks in a win at Idaho. He later became the first defensive player in 25 years to win the MAC’s Vern Smith Leadership Award.

NIU (2-0) is next in action at Huskie Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, as the Huskies host Buffalo in their Mid-American Conference opener at 2:30 p.m. Check out all of the ticket options and buy tickets anytime online at NIUHuskies.com/myhuskies. To request more information and connect with a member of the NIU ticket staff, or call the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). Calls received outside of business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm CT) will be returned the next business day.