NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – Tennessee ‘s sensational Sophomore Safety Eric Berry has been named the winner of The Lott Trophy IMPACT® Player of the Week presented by Wachovia.
Berry (5-11, 195, Fairburn , Ga. ) had a career high 10 tackles, including one sack and his fifth interception of the season, returning it 72 yards for a touchdown, in the Volunteers’ 34-3 win over Mississippi State. Berry now has 397 yards in interception return yards, breaking a 60-year Southeastern Conference record. Tennessee will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of Berry ‘s performance. Berry was selected by The Legends Football Coaches Association. Former Georgia Coach Vince Dooley, a member of the Legends Coaches, said: “Eric Berry played a heck of a game against Mississippi State. His 4th quarter interception that he ran back for a touchdown, not only broke the game open, but it so rattled the Mississippi State quarterback that he threw another interception for a touchdown three plays later.”
Tennessee Coach Philip Fulmer said: “When you put him ( Berry ) in the category of players here at other positions, he’s in the Peyton Manning or Jamal Lewis category.”
Berry, who leads the country in interceptions, was also selected the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week. 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 200. 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 this week were: Malcolm Jenkins of Ohio State , James Laurinaitis of Ohio State , Mark Herzlich of Boston College and Scott McKillop of Pitt.
The Lott Trophy IMPACT® Players 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, DE, Texas
Week VI – Scott McKillop, LB, Pitt
Week VII - Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
Week VIII – Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
LOTT SHOTS: Ohio State ‘s tandem of Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis combined for 20 tackles in holding Michigan State to net 52 yards rushing as the Buckeyes improved to 6-1 by beating the Spartans, 45-7. Jenkins had 9 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble that led to a touchdown Laurinaitis had a team-best 11 tackles, including 1.5 sacks…Wake Forest Linebacker Aaron Curry also had 11 tackles (one for loss), but the Deacons lost to Maryland, 26-0…Pittsburgh’s Scott McKillop had 9 tackles as the Panthers moved to 5-1 by beating Navy, 42-21…USC’s Brian Cushing forced a fumble in the Trojans’ dominating win over Washington State, 69-0…Nebraska’s Zack Potter and South Florida’s George Selvie both had sacks in their teams’ respective victories…Myron Rolle of Florida State led his team with 8 tackles (and a pass broken up) as the Seminoles improved to 5-1 with a 26-17 win over North Carolina State…Jan Jorgensen had 8 tackles and a sack, but BYU lost for the first time this season, 32-7, to TCU…Brian Orakpo of Texas was credited with 3 quarterback hurries as the No. 1-ranked Longhorns defeated Missouri, 56-31…Brit Miller of Illinois had 7 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries in a win over Indiana, 55-13….UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner had 7 tackles in the Bruins’ 23-20 win over Stanford. Bo McNally of the Cardinal had his 2nd interception of the season in the loss…Boston College Linebacker Mark Herzlich had 10.5 tackles (1.5 TFL) to lead his team to victory over Virginia Tech, 28-23.
LOMBARDI SEMI-FINALISTS: Six players on the Lott Trophy Watch List are among the 12 players selected as semi-finalists for the Lombardi Trophy, given to the nation’s top defensive lineman or linebacker: Brian Cushing (USC), James Laurinaitis (Ohio State), Brian Orakpo (Texas), Brandon Spikes (Florida), Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri), Geroge Selvie (South Florida).
DID YOU KNOW?: 2004 Finalist Derrick Johnson of Texas, now a starting linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, was named the 2007 Role Model of the Year by the children of the greater Kansas City Boys & Girls Club.