It comes as no surprise that Michigan State senior linebacker Joe Bachie was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after his impressive performance in the Spartans' 31-10 win at Northwestern.
Bachie — a senior captain from Brook Park, Ohio — recorded a career high 14 tackles against the Wildcats, including two tackles for loss. He added two pass breakups as well as an interception late in the game off of backup quarterback Aidan Smith. According to Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, Bachie finished with 53 production points, a stat he's used since 1995 to illustrate a defensive player's impact on a game.
"Joe Bachie had an unbelievable game," Dantonio said Sunday night on his teleconference. "You know, we have production points when you get so many tackles, so many assists, interceptions, pass breakups — you get a certain amount of points. Usually if you have 20 points, you had a very good game. Seventeen points, you had a very good game. He had 53 production points, which gives you an idea of how well he played.”
Dantonio added that it was the highest total that he has seen by any player since he began keeping production points stats.
Bachie earned his fourth-career Defensive Player of the Week award, but this is his first since since he was awarded for his performance against Maryland on Nov. 3, 2018. He also became the second player on Michigan State's defense to win the award this season, after defensive end Kenny Willekes earned the honor after Michigan State's 28-7 win against Tulsa on opening weekend.
Michigan State (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) continues conference play this Saturday when it hosts Indiana for homecoming (3:30 p.m., BTN).
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