Index of Sports Press Releases

Oct. 13, 2008

Adolph named GPAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week

Eric Adolph

MITCHELL, S.D. – The Doane College football team desperately needed some points as it trailed Dakota Wesleyan University in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Great Plains Athletic Conference game in Mitchell, S.D. So twice, the visiting Tigers decided to test DWU cornerback Eric Adolph on a pair of deep passes down the sideline.

In hindsight, they’re probably wishing they hadn’t.

Adolph, a 5-9, 173-pound senior from Flandreau, S.D., played perfect coverage both times and outmuscled the bigger Doane receivers for two crucial interceptions inside the DWU five-yard line. The picks helped Dakota Wesleyan University improve to 4-2 with a 14-7 homecoming victory.

Adolph also intercepted a pass in the first quarter, and his three picks tied a Tiger school record for interceptions in a single game. He also added two tackles and a pass break up, and, for his record-tying day, Adolph has been named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Defensive Player-of-the-Week.

This marks the second-straight week that a DWU defender has earned the league’s weekly honor. Last week, Tiger senior defensive lineman Kyle Meier was honored for his role in DWU’s 19-14 win at Midland Lutheran College.

The fact that Dakota Wesleyan defensive players have been honored by the league in back-to-back weeks speaks volumes about how far the unit has come in a single season. A year ago, the Tigers were dead last in the GPAC in total defense and rushing defense, and they were eighth in scoring defense and ninth in passing defense.

However, this season it’s been DWU’s play on the defensive side of the ball that has the Tigers in position for their first .500 or above finish in GPAC play. In Dakota Wesleyan’s four wins, the team has only surrendered an average of 8.75 points per game, and in three of the those wins, DWU has taken a shut out bid into the fourth quarter. The team is currently fourth in the league in scoring defense (16.2 points per game) and fifth in total defense (288.7 yards per game).

Adolph’s play at cornerback has been one of the reasons for the defensive improvement. The lock-down cornerback is currently second in the league and tied for fifth nationally with four interceptions, and he’s tied for eighth in the conference in passes defended per game. Adolph also has 10 solo tackles, 12 assists and a tackle-for-a-loss this season.

Morningside College quarterback Ian Gilworth received this week’s Offensive Player-of-the-Week award, and Northwestern’s Taylor Malm earned the special team’s honor.