Troy University Athletics
11/3/2026 11:00:00 AM | Football
TROY, Ala. – Troy fifth-year safety Justin Powe swept the three national player of the week awards he was eligible for, as he was named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America, the Jim Thorpe National Defensive Back of the Week by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Foundation.
Powe, a native of Mobile, Ala., is the first Trojan to earn Bronko Nagurski National Player of the Week since the award's inception in 2001, and the first to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week since Montres Kitchens in 2014.
Powe recorded three interceptions – one he returned for a touchdown – two pass break ups and seven tackles in Troy's 24-21 overtime victory, snapping James Madison's 11-game home winning streak. The three interceptions tied Powe for the Troy single-game program record held by Kitchens and several others.
The nation's top-rated safety, per Pro Football Focus, with an 89.9 grade, Powe became the first player since 2017 to record that stat line and just the fifth since at least 1995. He was the first player since 2019 to record three interceptions and two pass break ups in a game.
Powe's second interception came on the second play of the third quarter, flipping the game's momentum on a dime. He returned the interception 37 yards for a touchdown, pulling Troy within seven points. Eight minutes later, Jaheim Merriweather tied the game on a 28-yard touchdown run.
On JMU's final play of the fourth quarter, Powe stripped the ball from 6-foot-5 tight end Cole Keller's hands as he attempted to come down with a Hail Mary in the end zone.
He ranks fifth nationally (min. 200 coverage snaps) among safeties with an 89.7 PFF coverage grade and is 12th with just three first downs allowed in coverage.
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