Soumahoro picks up final SAA Defensive Player of the Week honor

After helping the Vikings to an SAA title, Mamadou Soumahoro has picked up the final SAA Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season.

Leading the team with seven tackles, Soumahoro led the Berry College football team to a 21-19 victory over top-ranked Centre College on Saturday. Behind Soumahoro’s solid defense, the Vikings won their fifth straight game to improve to 9-1 on the year, clinching the program’s first Southern Athletic Association title. Soumahoro not only led the Vikings’ defense throughout the matchup, but he also helped ignite the Berry come back against the Colonels. Berry was behind, 10-7, with less than two minutes to play in the first half. Soumahoro then sacked Centre’s Devin Hayes, forcing a fumble which he then recovered at the Berry 42, setting up the Vikings’ for the go-ahead score before the half. Berry never trailed again.

Soumahoro also added three additional sacks in the win, adding to a Berry program record nine sacks on the day. Five of his seven tackles were tackles for loss, and Soumahoro forced another fumble before the end of the game. Soumahoro ends the season with 15 sacks, ranking first in the SAA, as well as third in the nation. He also leads the nation in solo sacks and sacks per game. He also finishes with 47 tackles and five forced fumbles, ranking in the top ten in the nation in nearly every defensive category.