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Texas Star Orakpo Named Lott Player of the Week
NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – Texas Defensive End Brian Orakpo has been named the winner of The Lott Trophy IMPACT® Player of the Week presented by Wachovia.
Orakpo (6-4, 260, Houston) had two sacks, four tackles for losses and a forced fumble as Texas defeated the No. 1 team in the country, Oklahoma, 45-35. Texas will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of Orakpo’s performance.
Orakpo was selected by The Legends Football Coaches Association. Former Texas A&M Coach R.C. Slocum, a member of the Legends Coaches, said: “Orakpo had a dominating performance in a big time game against No. 1 Oklahoma. He had an outstanding game against Arkansas a few weeks ago, but this week he surpassed that earlier performance with 4 tackles for losses, 2 sacks and a forced fumble against the No. 1 team in the country. His performance in such an important game was a real difference maker in my opinion. He was keeping (Oklahoma quarterback Sam) Bradford from getting any rhythm which slowed down the OU offense. His play had a major impact on the outcome of the game.”
Orakpo becomes the first player to win the award twice this season, having been named Lott Trophy IMPACT® Player of the Week two weeks ago.
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 Advisers 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, Brandon Spikes of Florida, Aaron Curry of Wake Forest and James Laurinaitis of Ohio State.
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, Wake Forest
Week V – Brian Orakpo, Texas
Week VI – Scott McKillop, Pitt
Week VIII- - Brian Orakpo, Texas
LOTT SHOTS: Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins had an interception, a pass defense on fourth down, 4 solo tackles and a blocked punt that led to a touchdown in the Buckeyes’ 16-3 win over Purdue. Jenkins now has three interceptions on the season…Florida Linebacker Brandon Spikes intercepted two passes and returned one for a 52-yard touchdown as the Gators blasted LSU, 51-21…Wake Forest Linebacker Aaron Curry led his team in tackles with 9, including one for a loss, as the Deacon Demons limited Clemson to 198 total yards (on 58 plays) in a 12-7 win…Mitch King of Iowa had 3 tackles for losses in a 45-9 win over Indiana…Eric Berry of Tennessee had his fourth interception of the season in a 26-14 loss to Georgia. Berry, who leads the nation in interceptions, returned the interception 54 yards…Asher Allen of Georgia had 3 tackles, one for a loss, and 2 pass breakups…Ohio State Linebacker James Laurinaitis continues his string of steady play, recording double digits in tackles (10) in 16-3 win over Purdue. Laurinaitis also had two pass defenses…Bo McNally, Stanford safety, had 6 tackles (1.5 for losses) in win over Arizona…BYU’s Jan Jorgensen recovered a fumble as the Cougars ran their winning streak to 16, longest in the nation , by beating New Mexico, 21-3…Mizzou Safety William Moore led the Tigers in tackles with 10 (2 for losses) with a pass breakup and a forced fumble in loss to Oklahoma State…Nick Reed of Oregon recorded his 7th and 8th sacks of the season (he’s now second in the country) as the Ducks rolled over UCLA, 31-24.
LEADERS: Six former Lott Trophy® Watch List nominees lead their respective NFL teams in tackles: Patrick Willis (49ers), Eric Weddle (Chargers), Chad Greenway (Vikings), Kirk Morrison (Raiders), D’Qwell Jackson (Browns) and Paul Posluszny (Bills).
For further information on The Lott Trophy®, please visit our website at Lotttrophy.com.