University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior linebacker Muhasibi Wakeel is the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced today. Wakeel led the Mocs with a career-high 17 tackles in a 28-24 win over The Citadel on Saturday.
Muhasibi made his first start of the season against the Bulldogs, making an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball. He topped his career-best output with nine tackles in the first half alone. He also recovered a fumble in the second quarter logging the game’s lone takeaway.
Wakeel was in on three third-down stops in the game and helped hold The Citadel to just seven points after the break. His 17 tackles were the most for a Moc since Ryan Consiglio tallied 19 against Wofford in 2011.
A native of Decatur, Ga., Wakeel has seen action in all 30 games over the last three seasons. He had 13 stops as a freshman in 2011 and 12 tackles last season. He came into Saturday’s game with 23 this year.
This is the third week in a row a Moc has earned the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honor. Junior DE Davis Tull was the previous honoree, with senior Wes Dothard taking the award two weeks ago. It is the first such recognition in Wakeel’s career.
The Mocs hit the road this weekend for a visit to Appalachian State (2-6, 2-3 SoCon). Chattanooga is now tied for second in the SoCon race with a 4-1 league tally, 6-2 overall. Kickoff against the Mountaineers is set for 3:30 p.m. (E.D.T.) and can be heard on ESPN Radio 105.1 The Zone, the flagship station of the Mocs Sports Network.