Latu Earns Pair of Pac-12 Honors
October 09, 2023 | Football
Senior defensive end Laiatu Latu was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week in Monday's announcement by the conference office of the Pac-12 Football Performance Awards presented by Nextiva.
Latu led UCLA's defense in a 25-17 win over then-No. 13 Washington State on Saturday, posting three tackles โ including his team-high fifth sack of the year โ and forcing a fumble. The Sacramento, Calif. native added three QB hits.
As a team, the Bruins limited the Cougars to 10 offensive points, 204 passing yards, and 216 yards of total offense. Washington State had entered the game averaging 45.8 points and 405.8 passing yards per contest.
This marks Latu's second-career weekly Pac-12 award. He was previously named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 26, 2022 after recording three sacks and a forced fumble against Colorado.
UCLA, which is ranked No. 18 in this week's AP Poll, travels this weekend to Corvallis, Ore. for a Saturday night matchup at No. 14 Oregon State (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12). FOX will televise the game starting at 5 p.m. PT.
