Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes was back where he belonged Friday night, in the backfield causing havoc.
His performance in the 18th-ranked Spartans' 28-7 win over Tulsa earned him national honors. Willekes was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week Sunday afternoon. He finished tied with linebacker Joe Bachie with a team-high seven tackles against the Golden Hurricane. Willekes also added one sack, two tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and his first career touchdown after fellow defensive lineman Raequan Williams knocked the ball loose from Tulsa quarterback Zach Smith in the end zone.
"It was pretty cool to score my first touchdown, shout out my dog Raequan, he punched it out for me right into my arms," Willekes said following MSU's season-opening win. "Thank you Raequan for my first touchdown. It speaks to our chemistry on defense and how much work we put in, in the offseason. You can see how dominant we are. When we play together, we all do our job. It was good to see and it felt good to be back out there."
MSU (1-0) will host Western Michigan (1-0) on September 7 (7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network).
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