Texas’ Joseph Ossai is Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week

DALLAS (FWAA) – Texas JACK Joseph Ossai was all over the Oklahoma State backfield last week notching a career-high six tackles for loss and three sacks as the Longhorns got back into Big 12 title contention with a 41-34 overtime win at No. 6 Oklahoma State. Ossai posted a career-high 12 tackles to earn the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games in the weekend of Oct. 31, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

This is the fourth time for a Texas player to earn the weekly honor and the first since 2014.

It was perhaps the most complete game of his career for Ossai, a 6-4, 253-pound junior from Conroe, Texas who plays the JACK position, a hybrid defensive end-linebacker pass rush specialist. He also forced a fumble and had a fumble recovery in Texas’ first road win over a top-10 team since 2010. His final sack came on an OSU fourth down in overtime to end the game.

Ossai is the first Power Five player to record at least 12 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks in a game since Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh did so against the Longhorns in the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game (12 tackles, 6.0 TFLs, 4.5 sacks). Ossai is one of only six FBS players in total to achieve all three of those totals in a game since 2000. He has made at least eight tackles 13 times in his career, the third-best total by a Texas player of the last 20-plus seasons.

Now the Big 12’s TFL leader at 12.5 – only two players have more than 7.5 – Ossai was part of the Texas defensive unit that forced four Oklahoma State turnovers (three fumbles and an interception) to go with five sacks and 12 tackles for loss. The Longhorns held Chuba Hubbard to just 72 yards on 25 carries and the Big 12’s top rushing offense to only 130 yards on 51 carries (2.5 ypc). The ‘Horns kept OSU to just 3-of-12 on third downs.

Ossai is a member of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The Longhorns have had two Bronko Nagurski winners and another finalist in its history. Brian Orakpo, a defensive end, is Texas’ most recent winner from 2008 and linebacker Derrick Johnson won the award in 2004. Defensive tackle Malcom Brown was a finalist in 2014.

No. 22 Texas hosts West Virginia at 11 a.m. CT Saturday on ABC.

2020 Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Players of the Week
• Weekend of Sept. 5: Isaiah Kaufusi, LB, BYU
• Weekend of Sept. 12: Curtis Ryans, DE, Georgia Tech
• Weekend of Sept. 19: Tavante Beckett, LB, Marshall
• Weekend of Sept. 26: Jahron McPherson, S, Kansas State
• Weekend of Oct. 3: Bumper Pool, LB, Arkansas
• Weekend of Oct. 10: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
• Weekend of Oct. 17: Grant Morgan, LB, Arkansas
• Weekend of Oct. 24: Nick Andersen, S, Wake Forest
• Weekend of Oct. 31: Joseph Ossai, LB/DE, Texas