CEDAR CITY, Utah, Nov. 12 - Southern Utah University safety Tommy Collet, Jr., has been named ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Thunderbirds' 35-29 triple-overtime win at No. 11 Northern Arizona last Saturday.

Collet, a junior free safety from Moorpark, Calif. (Moorpark HS) tallied 11 tackles, six solo, in the win but his biggest play was a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown that staked the Thunderbirds to a 7-0 first-quarter lead. Collet stepped in front of a Cary Grossart pass with just over six minutes to play in the period and wove his way through the entire Lumberjack offense for the score.

He also came up big with two of his solo tackles in overtime, including one in the final OT period that kept the 'Jacks' Zach Bauman out of the end zone.

Collet is SUU's fifth ROOT Sports Big Sky player of the week this season. Quarterback Brad Sorensen and kicker Colton Cook were honored after the team's win over then-No. 1 Eastern Washington, punter Brock Miller earned the award following the T-Birds' win at Montana, and kick returner Josh Smith was named after the win at Portland State.

-- SUU --