A.J. Cruz Named Ivy League Rookie of the Week

Providence, Rhode Island - Brown freshman defensive back A.J. Cruz (Lake Forest, Calif.)  had another strong game in the Bears’ secondary in a 34-14 win over Cornell and was named the Ivy League’s Rookie of the Week.

Cruz collected a team-high seven tackles, including six solo stops and an interception that he returned 26 yards. Cruz and his defensive teammates kept the Cornell offense out of the end zone all day and prevented the Big Red from getting inside the Brown 30-yard line.

The hard-hitting Cruz has started four games for the Bears and had been Brown’s leading tackler in three games. He registered nine tackles in Brown’s win over Rhode Island, and led the Bears once again with 10 tackles and two pass break-ups against Holy Cross’ outstanding wide receiver corps. Against Princeton, Cruz registered four tackles, including three solo stops. His 33 total tackles rank third on the Brown team.

Cruz and the Bears will be back in action on Saturday as the third place Bears (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) battles first place Penn (4-2, 3-0 Ivy) at Brown Stadium, starting at 12:30 p.m.