Redshirt-Freshman LB Honored For Effort Against Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – He’s not the biggest defensive player in the Southeastern Conference, but that doesn’t stop him from making big plays against the nation’s best.
After a stellar performance against top-ranked Alabama on Saturday, Ole Miss redshirt-freshman linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week by the league office Monday. He shared the honor with Georgia defensive back Sanders Commings.
Nkemdiche, all 5-foot-11 and 203 pounds of him, racked up a career-high 11 tackles against the Crimson Tide. Three of those tackles were for a loss, including a quarterback sack that set the Tide back 10 yards. He also forced two Alabama fumbles.
The Loganville, Ga., native led a Rebel defense that limited the Tide to season lows in points and yards, holding them 120 yards below their season average heading into the game. The Rebels allowed just six points after halftime.
Nkemdiche leads Ole Miss and all SEC freshmen with 6.0 TFLs and also tops the team in tackles and sacks. It was the first SEC weekly honor of his career.