GRAND FORKS — UND senior captain Malachi McNeal spent last Saturday chasing around Youngstown State dynamic quarterback Beau Brungard.

On Monday, the linebacker was recognized — on a national level — for those efforts.

McNeal was named the Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week.

McNeal led UND's defense in the win over Youngstown State and collected 10 tackles, including nine solo stops.

"(McNeal) approaches this thing the right way," UND coach Eric Schmidt said. "He's got a growth mindset. He knows that he can still get better. He wants to get coached. He's in here asking as many questions as some of our young guys. He's sitting in the front row of meetings and his notes are detailed. He's taking notes on things that he's probably heard 15, 20, 25 times.

"There's a l

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