Linebacker
Brady Croucher had a monster homecoming game vs. William Jewell on Saturday. The junior from Olathe transferred from Southern Nazarene this season, and he has paid immediate dividends for the #11 Pioneers. "Brady has continued to improve each week," said Head Coach Jonathan Quinn. "His efforts really paid off on Saturday; his intensity and focus were perfect, and he really helped shut down the Jewell offense all game. We were struggling for points, and he kept us in the game. He really did an outstaning job of getting his nose to the ball and causing havoc all over the field."
Croucher ended up with 10 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss for 33 yards, 3.5 sacks for 29 yards, 2 pass break ups, and 2 interceptions (both in the 4th quarter). His 31-yard interception return for a touchdown capped off an amazing performance in the fourth quarter, as MNU turned a 6-3 deficit into a 45-6 victory. Croucher ranks 13th in the NAIA in sacks per game (0.8) and 20th overall with 4.5 sacks.
"Brady has spent the last few weeks really working on buying into the system," said Defensive Coordinator Paul Hubbard. "On Saturday he was focused on doing his own job and playing unselfishly. This allowed him to make plays both in the backfield and in coverage. When he was blitzing he never showed it too early, preventing a lineman from getting a block on him."
The Pioneers are 6-1. The next game is Saturday at 1:30 at Evangel.
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