KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tyler Walker's 4.5 sacks broke a Montana Western single-game record and the senior defensive lineman from Dillon, Mont., had a team-best 11 tackles in the Bulldogs' 52-0 win over Montana State-Northern, earning the first NAIA Defensive Player of the Week designation of the 2025 season. 

Of Walker's game-high 11 tackles, six were solo efforts, and he had six tackles-for-loss, totaling 33 yards. 

But the storyline for Walker in the game was his effort in the backfield with the quarterback, breaking the aforementioned UMW single-game record with 4.5 sacks that totaled 25 negative yards for Northern. 

Walker's 4.5 sacks on the season - all in Saturday's win - are best in the NAIA through two weeks in the 2025 football season. Montana Western is off this week, traveling next to Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on Sept. 20. 

NAIA Football Players of the Week are announced Monday afternoons at NAIA.org.