SEC Names Michael Sam Defensive Line Player of the Week

Sam had a big 3.0-sack night against Arkansas State to earn SEC recognition

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mizzou Football senior defensive lineman Michael Sam (Hitchcock, Texas) has been named the Southeastern Conference’s Defensive Line Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. Sam was a disruptive force in the backfield for much of the night in Mizzou’s 41-19 win over Arkansas State on Saturday, as he recorded a career-best 3.0 sacks and forced a fumble.

Sam’s 3.0 sacks tie the NCAA single-game high through Sept. 28 this season. His 1.8 tackle-for-loss average through four games leads the SEC and ranks tied for eighth nationally.

Sam is the third Tiger to earn Defensive Line Player of the Week from the SEC after junior DL Markus Golden (St. Louis, Mo.) and junior DL Kony Ealy (New Madrid, Mo.) earned the award for their defensive scores in the Sept. 7 win over Toledo and the Sept. 21 win at Indiana, respectively.

Mizzou (4-0) hits the road to start SEC action, taking on Vanderbilt on Saturday, Oct. 5, with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on CSS.