Oct 28, 20182 min read

UK's Josh Allen Selected Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky senior linebacker Josh Allen (pictured) has been named Football Bowl Subdivision National Defensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and presented by Generation UCAN, it was announced Sunday, Oct. 28.

Allen, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound linebacker from Montclair, New Jersey, recorded 11 tackles (nine solo), including a pair of quarterback sacks, both of which caused fumbles, in then-No. 12 Kentucky’s 15-14 win over Missouri on Saturday. With the win, the Wildcats improved to 7-1 overall, 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference, and clinched their first winning league record since 1977.

Allen has been a terror on defense the entire season as he leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks second nationally in sacks (10.0) and leads the SEC and ranks third nationally in tackles for loss (14.5). He also ranks second nationally in forced fumbles (five).

Interesting Allen notes:

With 10 sacks on the season, Allen has the most sacks since Dean Wells had 10 sacks in 1992 and is tied for the third-most in a season
Nine of Allen’s 10 sacks this season have come in the second half, including six in the fourth quarter and three in the third
Allen is just the fourth player in school history to record 10 or more sacks in a season, and the first since Dennis Johnson in 2001
Allen is the only player in the FBS since 2000 to have at least 56 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, five forced fumbles and four passes defended in his team's first eight games of a season
His 24.5 career sacks and 34.0 TFLs rank second on UK’s career lists

Allen has earned first-team midseason All-America honors from the Associated Press, ESPN.com, Pro Football Focus, CBS Sports and The Athletic, and been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week three times.

Allen, the first UK player to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week since 2004, is on the watch lists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Bednarik Award and the Butkus Award.

This is the 15th year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation will honor 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.

Photo by Jamie H. Vaught