UTEP · W 31-7
11 tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1 sack
The other 8 games average 7 tackles. This one was 4 above.
Donovan Woolen
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. One game to point at: 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss against UTEP — Week 9, 2026.
66 tackles · 2.5 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
66 tackles. 3 passes defended. 1 interception. 6 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Dakota State | 66 | 35 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 3 | 1 |
| Career | 66 | 35 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 3 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 9 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-7vs Jacksonville State | 10 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 1 | W 38-0vs Fordham | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 38-32@ Air Force | 11 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 31-10@ Sacramento State | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 28-0vs Wyoming | 9 | 4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 7-13@ UNLV | 11 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.5 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 7 | W 31-17vs Nevada | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 16-21@ New Mexico | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 31-7vs UTEP | 11 | 8 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 2.5 TFL |
| Total | 66 | 35 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 1 | 3 |
Oct. 31 · W 31-7 vs UTEP, play by play
11 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack, tied for 8th-most tackles for loss in FBS that week. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 8 of his 11, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 6-yard loss on 3rd and 3. Third quarter, up 17-7.
Against his own season: his best backfield disruption game of the season so far.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 6 tackles for loss, 2 of them sacks, in the 9 games with play by play.
How North Dakota State’s defense played that day
UTEP’s 10 drives: 9 stopped (3 takeaways) · 1 scored. While the game was within a score they held 6 of 7.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 5 for him; the box score credits 4.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
11 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 pass broken up. He hurried the quarterback once.
Sacked the quarterback for a 5-yard loss on 3rd and 6. Second quarter, tied 7-7.
9 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 interception. His interception ended Wyoming’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. First quarter, tied 0-0. Ended Wyoming’s drive (int).
Sacked the quarterback for a 3-yard loss on 3rd and 5. First quarter, up 7-0.
2 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
11 tackles, including 1 pass broken up. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 10 of his 11, sacks included.
1 tackle, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 5 · 2026
W 28-0
vs Wyoming
1 interception · 1 sack · 1.5 tackles for loss
Dominant 28-point win at home against Wyoming.
Ratings of the games shown run from -29 to +9 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
66tackles this seasonTFL rate
9%6 TFLSack rate
4%2 sacksPD rate
5%3 pass breakups66 tackles · 6 for loss · 2.5 sacks · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 7.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 7.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 7.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 7.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tim Polasek
Pass share
40.7%
236 pass / 344 run
Plays / game
64.4
9 games
Team sack rate
4.1%
266 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
66 tackles in 9 games, more tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
