Texas EDGE Colin Simmons Named a Bednarik Award Semifinalist With an FBS-Leading 10.5 Sacks
The junior missed two games to injury and still leads the nation in sacks per game — and his 5.5-sack night at Tennessee set a Texas school record that had stood in the books of a program full of pass rushers.
AUSTIN — Texas junior EDGE Colin Simmons was named one of 18 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award on Tuesday, the Maxwell Football Club announced — the third straight year a Longhorn has reached the semifinal list for the honor given to college football's defensive player of the year, the University of Texas reported.
Simmons has played seven games with six starts, missing the Ole Miss and Mississippi State games to injury, and still leads Texas with 10.5 sacks and 16.0 tackles for loss, alongside 25 total tackles, two forced fumbles, four quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. Per the university, he leads the FBS in sacks per game (1.50) and tackles for loss per game (2.29), ties for the national lead in total sacks, solo sacks and tackles for loss, and is the only FBS player averaging more than 2.0 tackles for loss per game. He was also named a Lombardi Award semifinalist on November 4.
His signature night came September 29 at Tennessee, where his 5.5 sacks — a Texas school record, worth 55 combined yards lost — tied the SEC single-game record and made him, per the university, the first FBS player in 20 seasons with 5.0 or more sacks in a game against a ranked team. Simmons returned from injury in Texas's win at Missouri on November 7. Next for Simmons and Texas (ranked No. 8/8/7 in the polls the university cites): a trip to LSU on Saturday, November 14, at 6:30 p.m. CT at Tiger Stadium, on ABC.
