Joe Bachie Named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player Of The Week
EAST LANSING, Mich. – After recording a career-high 13 tackles in Michigan State's 17-9 win over Indiana, sophomore linebacker Joe Bachie has been named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday. Bachie also collected a 1-yard sack in the fourth quarter and 1.5 tackles for loss overall (3 yards).
Michigan State held Indiana to 253 yards of total offense, the lowest output of the season for the Hoosiers. IU also had just 95 yards rushing; it marked the fourth opponent MSU has held to under 100 yards rushing this season. In addition, the Spartans didn't allow an offensive touchdown for the third time in 2017 (Bowling Green, Western Michigan). Indiana was just 4-of-17 on third-down conversions and was 0-for-1 on fourth down.
This marks the second time Bachie has been honored by the Big Ten this fall. He also garnered B1G Defensive Player of the Week accolades for his performance in the victory at No. 7 Michigan on Oct. 7. Bachie became just one of five FBS linebackers since 2012 to record double-digit tackles (10) and an interception, pass break-up, sack and forced fumble in the same game.
Bachie leads the Spartans with 63 tackles and two forced fumbles, and is second on the team in tackles for loss (5.5 for 23 yards) and third in sacks (two for 14). He is tied for second in the Big Ten in tackles, averaging 9.0 per game.
No. 16/18 Michigan State (6-1, 4-0) is in a three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten East Division, along with Ohio State and Penn State. The Spartans will play at Northwestern (4-3, 2-2) this Saturday, Oct. 28 at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.