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Texas Tech football stars David Bailey, Jacob Rodriguez eye more major awards
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- Texas Tech football stars David Bailey, Jacob Rodriguez eye more major awards
The fields keep narrowing for major national defensive awards, and Texas Tech football standouts remain in the running.
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez on Monday, Nov. 10, was one of eight semifinalists named for the Lott IMPACT Trophy , and Rodriguez and Tech edge defender David Bailey on Tuesday, Nov. 11, made the cut to 17 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award .
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Both awards are presented annually to college football's top defensive player.
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Rodriguez is the Big 12's second-leading tackler with 91 stops and continues to lead the FBS in forced fumbles with 7. The fifth-year senior from Wichita Falls Rider also has 9 1/2 tackles for loss, 5 pass breakups, 3 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries.
The Big 12 record for forced fumbles is 9, set by Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson in 2004, and the Tech record is 8, set by safety Dwayne Slay in 2005.
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"Great person, great player, and he makes plays when we need them," Tech running back Cameron Dickey said last week.
Rodriguez won multiple national player of the week honors after Tech's 29-7 victory last week against Brigham Young. In that game, he was credited with 14 tackles and added an interception and a fumble recovery.
"This is the most fun I've ever had playing football," Rodriguez said. "Being around the guys I'm around every single day, it makes life easy, to be able to come to work and get to work."
Bailey leads the FBS with 11 1/2 sacks. The senior from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei has been credited with 31 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss.
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The Big 12 single-season sacks record is 17, set by Texas A&M 's Von Miller in 2009. The Tech record is 15, set by Brandon Sharpe in 2009.
Former Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson , now a Las Vegas Raider who was a first-round draft choice, returned to Lubbock during an open date. Tech coach Joey McGuire saw Wilson wearing a Bailey jersey.
"I (told) Tyree, 'It's pretty cool you wore it,'" McGuire said. "(Wilson) goes, 'Man, he is a dog. I mean, he is a dog, and I'm so proud of him.'"
Going into its home game Saturday, Nov. 15, against Central Florida, Tech ranks first in the FBS in rushing defense, third in scoring defense, ninth in total defense and 37th in pass defense. The Red Raiders are first in fumbles recovered and tied for 10th in sacks.
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Rodriguez is one of six players who are semifinalists for both the Lott and Bednarik awards. The others are Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. , Ohio State safety Caleb Downs , Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen, Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore and Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell .
The other two Lott IMPACT Trophy semifinalists are Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk and Southern California safety Bishop Fitzgerald.
The other Bednarik Award semifinalists include Arkansas defensive end Quincy Rhodes Jr. , Utah defensive end John Henry Daley , Navy noseguard Landon Robinson, Oklahoma defensive end R. Mason Thomas and LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane . Also up for it are five other linebackers: Texas' Anthony Hill Jr. , Ohio State's Arvell Reese , Auburn's Xavier Atkins, Indiana 's Aiden Fisher and Buffalo's Red Murdock .
Last week, Bailey and Rodriguez were among 13 semifinalists named for the Lombardi Award, which goes to the nation's top lineman or linebacker, and Rodriguez was among 12 semifinalists chosen for the Butkus Award, which presents one award each to the nation's best linebacker in high school, college and pro football.
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Finalists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy will be announced Nov. 20, and the winner's presentation will be made Dec. 7 in Newport Beach, Calif.
Bednarik Award finalists will be announced on Nov. 27 and the winner on Dec. 11.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football's David Bailey, Jacob Rodriguez eye major awards
