DALLAS (FWAA) Florida middle linebacker David Reese II logged a career-high 16 tackles · 13 of them solo · to help the Gators (3-0) to a come-from-behind 29-21 win at Kentucky. For his big night, which included a key fourth-down stop that started Florida's rally, Reese has earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Sept. 14, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
Reese, a senior from Farmington, Mich., stopped Kentucky's Asim Rose on fourth-and-one at the Gators' 38 yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter with Kentucky leading 21-10. Florida scored on its ensuing possession and scored the game's final 19 points. The last Florida player to have 16 tackles in a game was Antonio Morrison on Oct. 3, 2015, against Ole Miss.
The 16 tackles topped Reese's previous high of 14 set twice, most recently last season against Missouri. Florida's leader in total tackles (23) is tied for seventh in the SEC with a 7.7 average per game. Of his 173.5 total tackles in his career, more than half (96) have been unassisted.
Saturday's win extended Florida's win streak to seven, spanning back to last season, its longest since a 2015 Birmingham Bowl win plus the first six games of 2016. The Gators have now won 32 of the last 33 games against Kentucky, including the last 16 in Lexington, with their last loss there coming in 1986.
Each Tuesday during the regular season, the FWAA has selected a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week since 2001. Reese will be added to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Wed., Nov. 20. The winner will be chosen from those five finalists who are part of the 2019 FWAA All-America Team.
The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association's entire membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalists. The committee members then select the winner as the best defensive player in college football.
The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet, will be held on Mon., Dec. 9 in Charlotte. In addition to the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner's announcement, the banquet will also celebrate the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award.
The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football then became a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw "Bronko" Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.
For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com.
About the Charlotte Touchdown Club
The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C., region. The club's activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship, and leadership of area athletes and coaches. Since 1991, the club has raised more than $2 million to benefit area high school and collegiate athletics. For more information, contact John Rocco (704-347-2918 or jrocco@touchdownclub.com). The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is touchdownclub.com.
2019 Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Players of the Week
Weekend of Aug. 31: Alijah Halliburton, Wyoming
· Weekend of Sept. 7: Evan Weaver, Cal
· Weekend of Sept. 14: David Reese II, Florida
· Weekend of Sept. 21: Demetrius Taylor, Appalachian State
· Weekend of Sept. 28: Benny Walls, Temple
· Weekend of Oct. 5: Jordyn Brooks, Texas Tech
· Weekend of Oct. 12: Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina
· Weekend of Oct. 19: Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech
· Weekend of Oct. 26: Chase Young, Ohio State
· Weekend of Nov. 2: Dele Harding, Illinois
· Weekend of Nov. 9: Terrel Bernard, Baylor
Related link:
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (All-Time Winners, Finalists and Players of the Week)