Kenneth Murray Named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week

NORMAN — One day after he picked up a national defensive player-of-the-week honor, Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Saturday's overtime win against Army West Point.

Murray registered a school-record 28 tackles (six solo, 22 assisted), which is the most by an FBS player since at least 2000, when the NCAA began tracking the record. 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 to post a 28-21 victory.

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. The sophomore from Missouri City, Texas, was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week on Sunday.

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). OU's time of possession was the lowest by a Big 12 team in league history, and was the lowest by an FBS team in victory since at least 1996.

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.

This is the fifth Big 12 Player of the Week honor for the Sooners this season. Linebacker Curtis Bolton was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week following the season opener against Florida Atlantic, quarterback Kyler Murray was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after the UCLA and Iowa State games, and kicker/punter Austin Seibert earned the special teams award following the Iowa State contest.

No. 6/5 Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) welcomes Baylor (3-1, 1-0) to Norman on Saturday. The game will start at 2:30 p.m. CT and be televised by ABC.