Van Ackeren also picks up defensive nod
By ERIC TABER
Following a dominant performance by the Montana Grizzlies’ defensive unit against Eastern Washington, senior defensive end Tyrone Holmes has been named the ROOT Sports Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Holmes (6-4, 245, Eagle Point, Ore.) picked up three sacks against the Eagles to up his season total to 14, the most sacks in all of FCS football this year, with an average of 1.4 per-game.
With three sacks against EWU, Holmes passed Any Petek to move into fourth place on Montana’s all-time career sack list with 30.5 to his name. He now needs two more sacks to pass Kroy Biermann in third place with 32, and just 2.5 more to pass Tim Bush, and move into second place behind Zack Wagenmann, who holds the record for most sacks at Montana with 37.5.
Holmes also picked up four tackles-for-loss against the Eagles, upping his career total in that category to 42.5, and moving him past Jason Crebo into sixth place on Montana’s all-time ranking. With just three more TFLs this season, Holmes can pass three more former Grizzlies, and move into third on the all-time ranking with 45.5, behind Tim Bush (48.5) and Zack Wagenmann (53).
Holmes also has the most TFLs this season in the Big Sky Conference, and sits at No. 11 on the national ranking.
Senior linebacker Kendrick Van Ackeren also received recognition this week for a dominant defensive performance against Eastern Washington, named the collegesportsmadness.com Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week.
Van Ackeren led all tacklers in the game with 16 total takedowns, a half of a sack, one tackle-for-loss, a pass breakup and an interception that he returned 26 yards, just shy of a touchdown.
Van Ackeren now has 111 total tackles this season, the fourth most in all of FCS football, despite missing Montana’s game against Idaho State. He now has 262 career tackles at Montana, tying him in 22nd place on Montana’s all-time career tackles list with Loren Utterback, Chad Lembke and Sean Dorris.