SAN DIEGO – With two interceptions to help a San Diego defense hold Marist to seven points, cornerback Cassius Johnson was named the Pioneer Football League (PFL) Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced.
 
A junior from Greenwich, Conn., Johnson intercepted two passes in a stretch in which the USD defense forced an interception on four straight Marist possessions. The two picks by Johnson were the most by a Torero since 2017. He added three tackles and two pass breakups as well.
 
The player of the week award from the conference is the first of Johnson's career. It is also the second weekly defensive honor for the Toreros this year.
 
After six weeks of the season, Johnson is the team leader in interceptions (career-high 3) and pass breakups (4). In the FCS, he is fifth in interceptions per game (0.8) and seventh in passes defended per game (1.8).
 
Johnson and the Toreros (2-2, 1-0 PFL) enter week seven of the season with a PFL road game at Davidson on October 12 (10 a.m. PT).