Caden McDonald’s performance in the Mustangs 48-20 win against Northwestern earned him the NAIA National Defensive Player of the Week award.

Caden McDonald, a 5-11, 210 lb. senior linebacker from Logan, Iowa, is the NAIA National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the fourth-ranked Mustangs’ 48-20 victory against No. 15 Northwestern College last Saturday in Orange City, Iowa.

He also earned the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Defensive Player of the Week award for the third time this season.

McDonald collected nine solos and two assists to lead the Mustangs with 11 tackles in their triumph against the Red Raiders. He also had two quarterback sacks, intercepted a pass to set up a touchdown and blocked a Northwestern PAT attempt. The 11 tackles was McDonald’s third double figure performance of the season. He had 11 tackles against Dordt College and a career-high 14 tackles against the University of St. Francis earlier this season.

McDonald also earned the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Defensive Player of the Week for his play in the Mustangs’ victories against Tabor College and Dordt. He had five tackles and returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown in the Mustangs’ 65-14 win against Tabor. McDonald had a team-high 11 tackles, including three tackles for losses of 10 yards, in the Mustangs’ 62-23 win against Dordt. 

He leads the Mustangs with 28 solos, 21 assists, 49 total tackles, seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 20 yards, three interceptions, 2.5 quarterback sacks, one blocked kick and one fumble recovery. McDonald returned two of his interceptions for touchdowns with a 50-yard return against Tabor and a 24-yard return against Truman State University.