Somerset, NJ – Wagner College junior free safety Patrick O'Connor (Leominster, MA/ Leominster) spearheaded a defensive effort that held FBS member Florida Atlantic (FAU) scoreless for three quarters and nearly carried Wagner to a road upset of the Owls and, as result, has been named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Defensive Player of the Week it was announced today by the league office.
 
In his first game since being named a team captain on August 25, the 6-1, 190-pound O'Connor registered a game-high 10 tackles (five solo, five assisted) in the Seahawks' 7-3 setback on Friday night in Boca Raton. In helping to lead a Seahawk defense that allowed just 327 yards of total offense, O'Connor, made four tackles that limited the opponent to a three-yard gain or less and also came up with a key fumble recovery. 
 
With Wagner holding a 3-0 lead and FAU facing a 3rd-and-2 from the Seahawks' 9-yard line on its first possession of the fourth quarter, the junior safety pounced on a ball that was jarred loose by senior linebacker C.O. Prime (Laval, Quebec/ Montreal, Canada). The 10 tackles matched a career high for O'Connor, who also had a 10-tackle effort at Bryant on September 29, 2011.
 
Wagner will take to the road again this weekend when the Seahawks travel to our nation's capital to face Georgetown on Saturday, September 8 at 1:00 pm.