Oklahoma Sooners' DE R Mason Thomas named Bronko Nagurski National Player of the Week
An Oklahoma Sooner has won a weekly award each of the last two weeks, and this week saw them win another one, this time a national weekly award. Defensive end R Mason Thomas was named the Bronko Nagurski National Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America for his performance against Tulane. The Bronko […]
An Oklahoma Sooner has won a weekly award each of the last two weeks, and this week saw them win another one, this time a national weekly award.
Defensive end R Mason Thomas was named the Bronko Nagurski National Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America for his performance against Tulane.
The Bronko Nagurski Award is handed out every year to the best defensive player in college football, voted on by the FWAA. Last season, Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts won the award.
Thomas made his third career start against the Green Wave and completely took over the game. He led the team with five total pressures, but he truly shined in his final two drives.
Thomas recorded three sacks, a batted pass, and a forced fumble on the final two drives of the game, recovering said fumble to close the books on Tulane and secure a win for the Sooners.
Thomas, a product of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., became the first Sooner with three sacks in a game since Nik Bonitto in 2020. Only one player nationally has recorded more sacks in a game this season, and Thomas' three sacks on Saturday tied for an SEC high for the year.
Thomas' performance was key to OU holding a Tulane offense that posted 491 yards the previous week against Kansas State to just 279 total yards Saturday.
Oklahoma's defense held Tulane to 116 yards and 3.7 yards per play in the second half, when it registered all seven of its tackles for loss and its three sacks (all by Thomas).
He might have had even more production had Tulane not gotten the ball out quickly. Thomas came mightily close to recording a safety in the first half.
I wrote in my postgame studs and duds piece that this was the first time I've seen a Sooners' pass rusher completely take over a game the way Thomas did since I saw Ronnie Perkins bury Teven Jenkins multiple times in Bedlam several years ago.
Thomas gets a well-deserved award for a truly tremendous game.
