NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – Luke Kuechly of Boston College has been named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week.
Kuechly is a 6-3, 237-pound junior linebacker from Cincinnati who had a team high 18 tackles in the Eagles’ win over North Carolina State, 14-10. Kuechly, who has had double figure tackles in 32 consecutive games, had nine straight tackles at one point in the second half. He leads the country in tackles for the second straight season with 168.
Kuechly had bruised his elbow in the third quarter and Boston College Defensive Coordinator Bill McGovern approached him on the sideline: “I was saying to him, ‘What you need is a play off and get back in there.’ It’s another credit to him. He turns it up when we need it and he’s got it in him to make plays as well.”
Kuechly now has 509 career totals in just under three seasons. He is a Lott Trophy semi-finalist, a Butkus Award semi-finalist and a Lombardi Award finalist.
In recognition of Kuechly’s performance, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, sponsors of the Lott IMPACT Trophy, will make a $1,000 donation to the general scholarship fund at Boston College.
An interview with Kuechly can be heard at halftime of Saturday’s LSU-Ole Miss game on Sports USA Radio Network. The IMPACT Player of the Week is also featured on FOX college football games this weekend.
Other notable performances by Lott IMPACT Trophy semi-finalists were:
*Emmanuel Acho, Texas. Had four tackles for losses, 12 total tackles, a forced fumble and two passes broken up in loss to Missouri, 17-5.
*Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State. Led team with 7 tackles, one for a loss, and broke up one pass in 66-6 win over Texas Tech as Cowboys went to 10-0 for first time in history.
*Dont’a Hightower, Alabama. Led Crimson Tide with 11 tackles, had 2.5 tackles for losses and 1.5 sacks in 24-7 win over Mississippi State.
*Lavonte David, Nebraska. Had 9 tackles, three on late drive by Penn State, in 17-14 win over the Nittany Lions.
*Chase Minnifield, Virginia. Returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown and had five total tackles in 31-21 win over Duke.
Lott IMPACT Players of the Week
Week 1 – Jordan Kovacs, Michigan
Week 2 – Shayne Skov, Stanford
Week 3 – Luke Kuechly, Boston College
Week 4 – Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State
Week 5 – T.J. McDonald, USC
Week 6 – Lavonte David, Nebraska
Week 7 – John Simon, Ohio State
Week 8 – Dont’a Hightower, Alabama
Week 9 – Lavonte David, Nebraska
Week 10 – Emmanuel Acho, Texas
Week 11 – Luke Kuechly, Boston College
Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott IMPACT Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. The Lott Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and a distinguished group of former college football head coaches. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $850,000 to various charities throughout the country. The eighth annual Lott Trophy dinner will be held Dec. 11th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit: www.LottTrophy.com . Follow college football by going to the Lott Blog at www.LottTrophy.com