Washington State linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis has been named the Pac-12 defensive player of the week.

Hoffman-Ellis, a senior from Los Angeles, registered a game-high 14 tackles in the Cougars’ 31-27 comeback victory at Colorado on Saturday.

His 14 tackles, which included 12 solo tackles and two sacks, were a WSU season high and one shy of his career-best 15 against Oregon State in 2009. Hoffman-Ellis had 10 tackles in the second half, five coming in the decisive fourth quarter.

The award marks the first of Hoffman-Ellis’ career and the first for a Cougars defensive player since Husain Abdullah earned the honor in November 2007. It’s also the first weekly accolade for the Cougars this season and first since Jeff Tuel earned offensive player of the week after beating Oregon State last season.