Sutton named Bednarik Award semifinalist

Sutton leads Pac-12 in sacks, tackles for loss

Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton has been named a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented annually to the outstanding collegiate defensive player in the nation, the Maxwell Football Club announced today.

Sutton has anchored the ASU defensive line through eight games this season and has a Pac-12-leading 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. He's fifth in the FBS in sacks and fourth in tackles for loss.

A redshirt junior from Corona, Calif., Sutton has recorded 40 tackles, including 27 solo, and has two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, a quarterback hurry, three pass breakups and three passes defended.

In the season opener against Northern Arizona, Sutton posted a 10-yard sack to go with 4.5 tackles. He added three tackles for loss, including a five-yard sack, and seven tackles in the team's win over Illinois. Sutton also collected eight tackles against Missouri, including an 8-yard sack, and four tackles in a win against Utah.

Sutton had two of his most dominating games during the team's two conference road tilts. He tied a career high with eight tackles, including three sacks and four TFL, and forced a fumble in a win on the road at Cal. Sutton had two sacks and a total of three TFL en route to five solo tackles in a win at Colorado.

He only played the first two defensive plays against Oregon on Oct. 18, but registered a forced fumble before sitting out the remainder of the game with an injury. He was not active for ASU's game against UCLA on Oct. 27.

The three finalists for the Bednarik award will be announced Nov. 19th. The winner will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which will be held on Dec. 6th.

The Chuck Bednarik Award has been presented since 1995 and is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik. Mr. Bednarik is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame '69 and the NFL Hall of Fame '67.