HCAC Tabs DC’s Longsdorf and Kuesel for Weekly Award

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference announced that Kyle Longsdorf has been named as the HCAC Defensive Player of the Week for the third-straight time, while Drew Kuesel was selected as the HCAC Offensive Player of the Week after the duo led the Jackets to a 49-7 victory against Anderson.

Longsdorf piled up 13 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown for the second week in a row. The London, Ohio, native's 20-yard touchdown return came in the third quarter and lifted Defiance to the 42-7 cushion. It was the third game in a row that Longsdorf had picked off a pass and the second-straight contest in which he returned an interception for a score.

Along with his individual statistics, Longsdorf fueled another dominant defensive showing by the Purple and Gold, as DC held the HCAC's second-rated offense to just 189 total yards, seven points and 1.2 yards per carry.

Kuesel provided more than enough offense for the Yellow Jackets, setting career highs with 225 yards and a trio of touchdowns on the ground. The Patrick Henry High product had runs of 28, 43 and 50 yards, while averaging 8.3 yards a pop over his 27 carries.

Kuesel accumulated the stats despite sitting out most of the fourth quarter, as his 43-yard touchdown score with 12:22 left in the game capped the scoring at 49-7 and ended his afternoon.

The 49 points scored by Defiance were the most by a DC squad since Coressel Stadium was built prior to the 1994 campaign and the most since the Jackets won 59-14 over Bluffton on November 6, 1993.

The HCAC Player-of-the-Week honor is the fifth for Longsdorf in his DC career and the third of the 2010 season. Kuesel earned the award for the first time in his collegiate career.

Defiance (4-3, 4-1 HCAC) will be back in action on October 30, when it hosts Rose-Hulman (4-3, 3-2 HCAC) at 1:30 pm for the final home game of the season.