Sept. 30, 2008
Texas’ Orakpo Named Lott Player of the Week
Texas Defensive End Brian Orakpo has been named the winner of The Lott Trophy IMPACT® Player of the Week presented by Wachovia. Orakpo had two sacks, a forced fumble, a quarterback hurry and another tackle behind the line of scrimmage as the Longhorns remained undefeated (4-0) with a 52-10 win over Arkansas . Orakpo has six sacks on the season, second best in the nation. Texas will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of Orakpo’s performance.
Orakpo (6-4, 260, Houston ) was selected by The Legends Football Coaches Association. Former Texas A&M Head Coach R.C. Slocum, an LFCA member, commented on Orakpo’s play: “Orakpo is a special player. He is very active and plays hard. The Arkansas offensive line won’t easily forget this guy after he forced a fumble, had two sacks and three tackles for losses.” For the year, Orakpo, a senior, leads Texas in sacks (6), tackles for losses (8), forced fumbles (2) and quarterback hurries (9). The Defensive Most Valuable Player in the Holiday Bowl after last season, he was on the Texas Athletic Director’s Honor Roll this past Spring. Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT® Player of the Year. Now in its fifth year, The Lott Trophy is the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. Sponsored by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation® in Newport Beach , Ca., the award is given to a player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
David Pollack of Georgia won the initial Lott Trophy in 2004. DeMeco Ryans of Alabama won the award in 2005 Daymeion Hughes of Cal was the recipient in 2006 and Glenn Dorsey of LSU in 2007. Georgia , Alabama , Cal and LSU each received $25,000 for their general scholarship funds. In four years, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation® has donated more than $450,000 to various charities, including the four universities. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation®, The IMPACT® Foundation Board of Advisors comprised of many retired NFL players and the Legends Coaches, a distinguished group of former head college coaches. Other players receiving consideration from the Legends Coaches were Brandon Spikes of Florida, Nick Reed of Oregon , Jeremy Jarmon of Kentucky and James Laurinaitis of Ohio State .
The Lott Trophy IMPACT® Player of the Week, 2008
Week I – Alterraun Verner, CB, UCLA
Week II – Zack Follett, LB, Cal
Week III – George Selvie, DE, South Florida
Week IV - Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
Week V - Brian Orakpo, Texas
LOTT SHOTS: Ohio State All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis had a game-high 12 tackles as the Buckeyes defeated previously unbeaten Minnesota, 34-21…Brian Cushing of USC had eight tackles, one for a loss, and a pass break up in Trojans’ loss to Oregon State, 27-21. Cushing broke a bone in his hand in that game and will have to wear a cast…Oregon’s Nick Reed had his fifth sack of the season, recovered a fumble and was credited with two quarteback hurries in a 63-14 win over Washington State…Kentucky’s Jeremy Jarmon had a sack, another tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry as the Wildcats remained undefeated with a 41-3 victory over Western Kentucky…Linebacker Mark Herzlich of Boston College returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown in a 42-0 win over Rhode Island. He also forced a fumble and had six tackles in the win…Courtney Greene of Rutgers had his sixth career interception—and first of this season—in 38-0 win over Morgan State…Aaron Curry of Wake Forest had 10 tackles, 2 for losses, but the Deacons lost for the first time this year, 24-17, to Navy…Alterraun Verner recorded 10 tackles for UCLA and Reggie Carter had nine, but the Bruins lost to Fresno State, 36-31…Wisconsin Linebacker Jonathan Casillas returned an interception 49 yards and had eight tackles in loss to Michigan, 27-25…Florida State’s Myron Rolle had six tackles in 39-21 win over Colorado…Asher Allen of Georgia recorded seven tackles in loss to Alabama, 41-30…Nebraksa’s Zack Potter had three tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 35-30 loss to Virginia Tech…Brit Miller of Illinois had eight tackles in loss to Penn State, 38-24…Florida Linebacker Brandon Spikes had a game best 13 tackles, but Gators lost to Mississippi, 31-30.
SIDELINED: South Florida’s George Selvie missed the Bulls’ 41-10 win over North Carolina State . He was out with a foot injury.