Murray Named National Defensive Player of the Week

NORMAN — University of Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray has been named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in OU's 28-21 overtime win against Army on Saturday.

Murray, a sophomore from Missouri City, Texas, registered a school-record 28 tackles (six solo, 22 assisted), which is the most by an NCAA FBS player since at least 2000 (the furthest back the NCAA Records Book goes in the category). He finished with 27 tackles in regulation and added one in overtime, when the Sooners held the Black Knights to three yards and got a game-ending interception by Parnell Motley on fourth down.

Murray broke the former OU record for tackles in a game held by linebacker Carl McAdams, who recorded 24 in a 10-0 home loss to Navy in the 1965 season.

Army possessed the ball for 44:41 to OU's 15:19 in regulation on Saturday, and ran 87 plays on the night to the Sooners' 40. The 47-play difference in favor of the opponent marked the second-largest in OU history in a victory (OU ran 47 plays to Iowa State's 96 in a 43-40 win in Ames in 1989).

Murray wasn't the only Sooner to break the 20-tackle mark against Army. Fellow linebacker Curtis Bolton registered 23 stops on the night, the third-highest total in OU history. Murray and Bolton became just the second Sooners pair to both register 20-plus tackles in a contest. In OU's 16-13 win over Texas in 1974, nose guard Dewey Selmon finished with 22 tackles and linebacker Rod Shoate had 21.

Murray is the eighth Oklahoma player to earn Walter Camp Player of the Week honors since 2004, and the second this year. Quarterback Kyler Murray was named the organization's offensive player of the week after OU's 49-21 win over UCLA two weeks ago.

This is the 15th year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation is honoring one offensive and one defensive player as its national Football Bowl Subdivision player of the week during the regular season. Recipients are selected by a panel of national media members and administered by the Foundation.