Tuli Tuipulotu Named Pac-12 Defensive Player and Lineman of the Week
Defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week following his standout showing in USC’s 30-14 win against Washington State this past weekend.
Tuipulotu recorded five tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and a quarterback hurry against the Cougars. All three sacks came in the first half.
The first two came in a span of three plays following USC’s first touchdown. They forced a Washington State punt and USC drove for a field goal on the ensuing possession. His third sack also came on third down and helped force a Washington State punt. That was a critical drive for the USC defense as it did not allow the Cougars to score before halftime.
The USC record for sacks in a game is four, achieved by Marcus Cotton, Junior Seau, Tim Ryan and Lawrence Jackson. Tuipulotu nearly tied that in the third quarter when he arrived at Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward around the same time as fellow defensive lineman Nick Figueroa. But Figuroa was credited with the solo sack.
Tuipulotu is off to an outstanding start to his 2022 season. Through six games, he leads the nation in sacks per game, with 1.17. He’s also tied atop the list of tackles for loss per game, with 2.1. Tuipulotu has seven sacks already this season after finishing the 2021 season with 5.5. He’d recorded multiple sacks in a game just once before, when he had two against Arizona last year.
This is the second time this season Tuipulotu was named Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week. He also earned the honor following his performance against Stanford. It’s the first time any USC player has earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week this season.
