Baylor football junior NB Travon Blanchard was named the Jim Thorpe Player of the Week, Phil Steele and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.
Blanchard racked up 11 tackles (8 solo), including a career-high 4.5 TFLs in Baylor’s 35-24 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 the Cowboys 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.
The Jim Thorpe Player of the Week is chosen by Phil Steele each week and is part of the year-long search for the Jim Thorpe Award winner, who is the nation’s top defensive back and will be announced on Dec. 8.
On Monday, Blanchard won his first career Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor. On Tuesday, he was named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America.
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.
