Malauulu Named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week

Kent State junior linebacker C.J. Malauulu (Oceanside, Calif.) was named Mid-American Conference East Division Defensive Player of the Week Monday, following an outstanding performance at Ohio Saturday.

Malauulu had a game- and career-high 12 tackles against the Bobcats as the Flashes held the Ohio to a season-low 17 points.  He forced a fumble in the second quarter on Ohio's 25 that led to Kent State's only touchdown of the day. Malauulu also added 3.0 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass break-up.

After two seasons at Palomar Community College, Malauulu joined the Golden Flashes this past summer and made an immediate impact.  He cracked the starting lineup in week two against Louisiana, where he registered seven tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss, including a safety.  Malauulu leads Kent State with 3.0 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss.  He is second on the team in total tackles with 37.

Senior punter Matt Rinehart (Dover, Ohio) and Malauulu were both honored by College Football Performance Awards this week.  Rinehart, who averaged 50.4 yards on five punts Saturday, was one of seven punters to earn Honorable Mention.  He had a season-long 68-yard boot against the Bobcats.

Kent State has earned the MAC East Defensive Player of the Week honor in back-to-back weeks with the first award going to sophomore safety Luke Wollet (Poland, Ohio).  The Golden Flashes return to action Saturday at Northern Illinois.