STANFORD, Calif. - For the second time this season, junior defensive lineman Solomon Thomas was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
Thomas posted a career-high 12 tackles -- 10 solo -- and added 1.5 sacks to propel Stanford to a 17-10 road victory over Notre Dame. The communication major also forced a fumble at the Stanford 14-yard line on the final play of the game to seal the win. It was the fewest points the Cardinal has allowed in 31 all-time meetings with Notre Dame. Stanford's defense shut out the Fighting Irish in the second half and accounted for nine points (interception return for a touchdown and safety) to pull the Cardinal back from a 10-point halftime deficit.
Thomas is the fourth Cardinal to earn two conference Defensive Player of the Week awards in a single season and first since Trent Murphy in 2013. John Lynch (1992) and Ron George (1991) also accomplished the feat.
Thomas earned the same recognition on Sept. 26 after he had three tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, one sack and a fumble return for a touchdown in a 22-13 victory at UCLA. Prior to Thomas, Stanford's last Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week was Peter Kalambayi on Sept. 29, 2014.
The Cardinal plays host to Colorado Saturday at noon PT. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Networks.
