BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — Victor Nelson Jr.'s three-interception game against fifth-ranked Villanova has landed the free safety a pair of honors.

Nelson on Monday was named the Northeast Conference's Defensive Player of the Week. He also was recognized as Stats Perform/FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honorable mention.

Nelson, a 6-foot-4, 209-pound native of Gainesville, Fla., upped his total to an FCS-leading four interceptions through two games. William & Mary's Jalen Jones, Richmond's Aaron Banks and Weber State's Maxwell Anderson rank second in the FCS with three INTs apiece.

Including FBS players, Nelson is tied with Nevada's Bentlee Sanders for the Division I lead.

Last season, there were only a trio of three-interception games in the FCS during the full season: Southern U's Chase Foster against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Austin Peay's Jonathon Edwards against Eastern Illinois, and South Dakota State's Dalys Beanum against UC Davis.

The last time an LIU student-athlete had three interceptions in a game came during the final season in Division II, when Nazir Streater had three against Saint Anselm on Oct. 13, 2018. The program record is four, set by Sam Halbrecht against Cortland in 1968.

An aspiring doctor slated to take the MCAT in June (although he will have eligibility remaining), Nelson originally signed with Air Force and attended its prep academy for one year before transferring to LIU. Nelson transferred away from Air Force because it did not offer chiropractic medicine, although he since has resolved to pursue another medical field that will deal with patients.