Aggie LB Woodward garners multiple weekly honors
David Woodward lived up to his preseason hype in every way against Wake Forest, setting new career highs in solo tackles (18), total tackles (24) and tying his best single-game tackles for loss total (3.5). He also recorded a sack and forced two fumbles which doesn’t include the one called back for defensive holding where he stole the ball clean out of the hands of Wake Forest quarterback, Jamie Newman, and ran it into end zone.
Woodward’s effort nearly tied the single-game school record at USU for tackles, previously set by Brian Longuevan (26) against Weber State in 1974. He came within one of tying the Mountain West single-game record of 25 set by Nevada’s Albert Rosette against Air Force in 2012.
Friday marked the native of Olympia, Wash. has recorded at least 20 tackles in a single game, the last coming in Utah State’s 29-24 win over Colorado State. In that game, Woodward finished with 20 total tackles, 14 of them assists with six solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Per College Football Reference, only 14 other players since 2000 have matched or exceeded Woodward’s 24 tackles in a single game. Only one of those 14, Tim McGarigle, also matched the 3.5 tackles for loss. Woodward ranked third among the 15 instances in solo tackles.
For now, the native of Olympia, Wash. is the nation’s leader in tackles, solo tackles and is tied for the national lead in fumbles forced with five other players.
Naturally such a performance caught the eyes of Pro Football Focus, who have previously taken interest in the Aggie linebacker. Last season, PFF named Woodward one of its First Team All-American linebackers. On Sunday, PFF placed USU’s defensive star on its defensive Team of the Week.
ICYMI: The Eckrich Team of the Week for Week 1 is LIVE! See the entire team below!https://t.co/5y5E1w8QoJ pic.twitter.com/NyLnQQerg6
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 2, 2019
Here’s what PFF writer Cam Mellor said in his short blurb on Woodward.
“The ACC Network mentioned it during their broadcast (that) Woodward is a PFF All-American for good reason, showcasing his skillset on national television against Wake Forest in Week 1. Sure, they didn’t get the win against the Demon Deacons but Woodward was hardly the cause. On 107 snaps, he recorded 20 total tackles, 10 defensive stops and allowed just 16 yards on his 43 snaps in coverage.”
Woodward wasn’t the only player from the state of Utah to make the PFF team. Zack Moss of the University of Utah earned a spot with his 194 total yards and one touchdowns on 31 touches.
Woodward received additional recognition from the Maxwell Football Club, the organization behind the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s best defender. The club named the junior linebacker as the Bednarik Player of the Week, honoring his elite defensive play.
Congrats to @USUFootball's David Woodward on being named the Bednarik Player of the Week!#AggiesAllTheWay | #AtThePeak pic.twitter.com/PAICuRLPNv
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) September 3, 2019
This top-level performance came right after Woodward returned to action from a concussion suffered during the offseason. He spent a good chunk of fall camp on the sideline, unable to participate in scrimmages or contact drills, only being cleared the week prior to playing Wake Forest.
Despite the accolades from PFF and the Maxwell Football Club, Woodward did not receive the Mountain West’s award for defensive player of the week. That honor went to Wyoming’s Alijah Halliburton who recorded a personal career-high 17 tackles, one TFL and recovered one fumble in the Cowboys’ 37-31 win over Missouri on Saturday.