Mike Nixon named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week

Arizona State University senior linebacker Mike Nixon was named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced.

Nixon did a little bit of everything for the Sun Devils during their 50-3 win over Idaho State. He intercepted three passes, returning one for a touchdown, collected four tackles and blocked a punt, recorded half a tackle for loss and broke up a pass for the ASU defense, which limited Idaho State to only 37 yards of total offense.

The Phoenix native, who tied for the Pac-10 lead with five interceptions last season, now has eight career picks, all coming in the last nine games. He went the first 30 games of his career without an interception.