Missouri junior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon was named as the Lott Trophy IMPACT Player of the Week for his play in last Saturday’s 41-24 win over Kansas State.
The 13 th ranked Tigers improved to 8-2 on the season (3-2 in Big 12), thanks to Weatherspoon’s defensive play, as he registered a game-high 13 tackles, including two tackles for loss and one quarterback sack while adding two pass break ups.
The number-one unit left the game midway through the fourth quarter with MU holding a 41-10 lead, until K-State got two touchdowns in the final 1:11 against Tiger reserves. Kansas State gained just 213 yards of total offense against the number-one defense, well below the Wildcats’ season averages of 418.22 yards and 36.56 points coming into the game.
A top candidate for All-American and other numerous national awards in 2008, Weatherspoon has established himself as one of the top linebackers in the country. He currently ranks 5 th in the NCAA in tackles per game (11.00) and he also leads the Big 12 Conference, and ranks 9 th nationally, with 1.55 tackles for loss per game. For the season, Weatherspoon leads MU with 110 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions. He returned interceptions for touchdowns in consecutive games for the first time in school history, including a key fourth-quarter pick-six that helped seal MU’s 52-42 win over 20 th -ranked Illinois.
Weatherspoon is a semi-finalist for The Lott Trophy, which recognizes college football’s Defensive Player of the Year who best exemplifies Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.