Football | 9/14/2015 6:57:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – Redshirt senior captain
Mike Stojkovic of the
Robert Morris University football team was named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week as announced by the league Monday afternoon.
Stojkovic's honor gives RMU its second weekly award in the defensive category in as many weeks as sophomore strong safety
Ryan Richards Jr. took home the accolade after the opening week of the 2015 campaign.
It marks the eighth time in program history that the Colonials have claimed weekly defensive honors in back-to-back weeks but the fourth occasion on which RMU achieved the feat with two different student-athletes. However, Robert Morris had never before won the league's first two defensive weekly honors in a season until Monday.
Stojkovic was one of the main leaders of the RMU defense for the second straight week as the Colonial defenders nearly helped RMU pull off a stunning upset of nationally ranked Youngstown State. He flew all over the field Saturday night, compiling 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. It was the second straight game in which he hit double figures in tackles, and he also forced a fumble for the second consecutive contest, a turnover that led directly to a Colonial touchdown. One week after Youngstown State scored 37 points and accumulated over 400 yards of total offense against Pittsburgh, Stojkovic and the Robert Morris defense held the Penguins to 14 points and 304 total yards in regulation. RMU held the Penguins into an 11-for-27 passing mark overall and a 5-for-17 figure on third down. Of Stojkovic's 11 tackles, nine prevented the Penguins from gaining a first down.
Stojkovic owns 124 tackles, including 14.0 tackles for loss, and four fumble recoveries in his Colonial career.
Stojkovic is the 25th distinct Colonial to be honored in the NEC's defensive player category. Those 25 honorees have combined for 41 total defensive awards.
Robert Morris will return home this Saturday, Sept. 19, as it hosts Notre Dame (Ohio) as part of the University's Homecoming weekend.
