Baylor football junior NB Travon Blanchard was chosen as the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week, the Football Writers Association of America announced Tuesday.
Blanchard had 11 tackles (8 solo), including a career-high 4.5 TFLs in Baylor’s victory over Oklahoma State. He also had one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one PBU and one QB hurry.
The Orange, Texas, product’s biggest play in the game came with OSU driving with under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter and Baylor leading 28-24. The junior was able to punch the ball loose from OSU RB Justice Hill at the BU 2-yard line as the Cowboys were on the verge of taking the lead. Blanchard then pounced on the ball at the BU 1-yard line for a forced fumble and recovery. Hill was originally ruled down, but replay overturned that call to give the Bears the ball at their own 1-yard line. After Blanchard’s recovery, the BU offense sealed the game with a 99-yard TD drive.
Blanchard will now be added to the Bronko Nagurski Watch List. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is given National Defensive Player of the Year, on Nov. 17. The winner will be chosen from those five finalists who are part of the 2016 FWAA All-America Team.
On Monday, Blanchard won his first career Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor.
The 13th-ranked Bears (4-0, 1-0) will now travel to Iowa State to face the Cyclones (1-3, 0-1) at 11 a.m. CT Saturday on FS1.
