Despite the Sooners' 21-13 loss to No. 15 Kentucky on Saturday, Jake Kreultook home some hardware for the first time of his collegiate career.
Kreul, a first-year edge rusher from Florida, was named the SEC's Freshman of the Week on Monday.
In OU's eight-point loss, Kreul registered six tackles, three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, all of which were career highs. Kreul's 2.5 sacks were the most by an Oklahoma freshman since 1984, when redshirt freshman Brian Bosworth logged three against Iowa State.
Kreul finished the game with a 66.8 Pro Football Focus (PFF) defensive grade and a stellar 77.2 tackling grade.
While Oklahoma lost to the visiting Wildcats, the Sooners' defense was excellent. OU gave up only 230 total yards, 72 rushing yards and 14 points. (Seven of Kentucky's points came on a fourth quarter pick-six from quarterback John Mateer).
"He's incredibly eager and focused, puts a lot of work in, and tonight he just had his opportunity," OU coach Brent Venables said after Saturday's game . "He made some fantastic plays and really impacted things... Jake's going to be a really good player."
Kreul's noteworthy performance against Kentucky followed his impressive showings in the five previous weeks.
In OU's 27-24 win over Texas, Kreul played 15 snaps. He was responsible for a quarterback pressure on Texas quarterback Arch Manning's first interception, which defensive back Peyton Bowen returned for a touchdown.
Kreul combined for 36 snaps in the Sooners' games against UTEP, Michigan, New Mexico and Georgia. He combined for a sack in the UTEP game before notching his first-ever solo tackle against Georgia on Sept. 26. According to PFF, Kreul has missed only one tackle through six games.
Before enrolling at Oklahoma, Kreul was a blue-chip prospect. ESPN graded him as a 5-star prospect, while 247Sports and Rivals had him as a 4-star. The IMG Academy product chose the Sooners over offers from Ole Miss, Texas and several other major programs.
Kreul's recognition marks the Sooners' fourth SEC weekly award of the season.
Oklahoma will take the field again on Saturday, when the Sooners battle Mississippi State on the road. The Bulldogs lost 31-0 at LSU last week, though they were without star quarterback Kamario Taylorand running back Fluff Bothwell.
Saturday's game between the Sooners and the Bulldogs will begin at 2:30 p.m.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahoma as Oklahoma Freshman Edge Rusher Earns SEC Weekly Honor .
