Oct. 22, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - University of Missouri senior SS Pig Brown was named today as the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league office. Brown earned the award for his stellar play last Saturday in helping Mizzou to a 41-10 win over 22nd-ranked Texas Tech. This marks the second time this season that Brown has won the weekly award, as he previously was cited for his outstanding play as he helped lead Mizzou to a 40-34 season-opening victory over Illinois.
Against Texas Tech, Brown amassed a career-high 14 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss, grabbed one interception, broke up two passes (including one on a fourth-down attempt by Tech) and also deflected another pass that ended up intercepted and returned for a touchdown by teammate Stryker Sulak to open the scoring.
Brown was a catalyst for a Tiger defense that won the battle quite significantly against a Red Raider offense that was the nation's top-ranked unit prior to Saturday. The Red Raiders came into the game ranked 1st nationally in total offense (582.0 ypg), passing (500.4), and were 2nd in pass efficiency (177.9 rating) and 3rd in scoring (50.0 ppg), but the Tiger defense was more than up to the challenge, holding Tech to nearly 200 yards shy of its yardage total (388), including 397 passing yards, and exactly 40 points below the Red Raider scoring average.
Brown, who is playing his way into serious all-conference and national award consideration, was previously honored this season as both Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, as well as Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Illinois. In that game, Brown gathered three turnovers on the day, including two fumble recoveries (one of which he returned 100 yards for a touchdown that tied the NCAA record for longest fumble return), and a game-saving interception that came at the MU 1-yardline with just :51 seconds remaining in the game. In all, Brown had five tackles, including one that went for a loss.
This is the 12th time overall that a Tiger has won Big 12 Defensive POW honors, and Brown joins former CB Wade Perkins as the only Tigers to win the weekly award twice in the same season (1998).
Here's a look at MU's defensive award winners...
MIZZOU BIG 12 DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Date Tiger Position Opponent
10-22-07 Pig Brown SS Texas Tech
9-4-07 Pig Brown SS Illinois
10-23-06 David Overstreet SS Kansas State
9-18-06 Brian Smith DE New Mexico
9-11-06 Marcus Bacon LB Mississippi
10-10-05 Brian Smith DE Oklahoma State
9-28-02 R.J. Jones CB Troy State
11-1-99 Jeff Marriott NT Texas Tech
11-9-98 Wade Perkins CB Colorado
10-19-98 Wade Perkins CB Oklahoma
11-22-97 Barry Odom LB Tulsa
11-24-96 Joe Love LB Kansas
Tigers have won Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors 12 times previously (six by Brad Smith, two each by Corby Jones, Devin West and Chase Daniel) and five times have won league Special Teams Player of the Week honors (two by Marcus James, one each by Adam Crossett, Brad Hammerich and Jeremy Maclin).