Elon senior defensive end Marcus Willoughby has been selected as the STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week.

Willoughby contributed a career-high 14 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack as Elon defeated The Citadel, 35-28, last Saturday. The senior defensive end’s sack helped stop a Bulldogs’ drive late in the fourth quarter. Elon’s defense limited The Citadel’s triple-option offense to 156 yards rushing, which was its lowest total since facing Clemson in 2017, and to 225 yards overall.

It was the second straight week that CAA Football received a National Defensive Player of the Week award as Villanova junior cornerback Jaquan Amos was honored on Sept. 2.

In addition to Willoughby’s award, three CAA Football players – UAlbany running back Alex James (Offensive), Rhode Island wide receiver Aaron Parker (Offensive) and Towson punter Shane McDonough (Special Teams) received honorable mention for national accolades from STATS.