Kea'Shaun Phillips

Junior Kea'Shaun Phillips, a linebacker on The College of Wooster's football team, was selected as the North Coast Athletic Conference's Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.

Phillips logged a team-high eight tackles during Wooster's (2-0, 1-0 NCAC) 17-0 win over Oberlin College on Saturday. However, it was his play right before halftime that went down as the true game-changer. The communication studies major picked up a Yeomen fumble at Oberlin's 31-yard line and returned it 18 yards. That set up Wooster's offense inside the red zone with 32 ticks left on the first-half clock, and the Scots were able to up their lead to 10-0 at the half.

Among Phillips' other highlights were a second-quarter sack and a first-quarter tackle for loss.

Through two games, Phillips is Wooster's co-leader in tackles with 10. The Scots' defense has allowed six points on the year, which is the second-fewest among all NCAA Div. III programs that have played two games. Wooster's one of nine teams within Div. III that have yet to allow a red zone score.

Of note, since the start of the 2018 season, Wooster's had a NCAC-leading four players selected for the conference's weekly defensive honor.

Phillips and his teammates are back in action this Saturday, when Wooster travels to Wittenberg University (1-1, 1-0) for a 4:30 p.m. tilt.