Nov. 21, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; November 21, 2011 - Penn State standout senior DT Devon Still (Wilmington, Del.) has been named a finalist for two of the nation's most prestigious honors -- the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Outland Trophy.
The Maxwell Football Club annually presents the Bednarik Award to the nation's defensive player of the year. The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) awards the Outland Trophy annually to the nation's premier interior lineman.
A co-captain and leader of the Nittany Lions' Top 10 defense, Still also is a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, presented by the FWAA to the nation's top defensive player.
The Big Ten's leader in solo tackles for loss with 15.0 TFL, Still is joined as a Bednarik Award finalist by Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower and LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu. Still is joined by Stanford guard David DeCastro and Alabama offensive tackle Barrett Jones as finalists for the Outland Trophy.
The winner of the 17th Bednarik Award and the 66th Outland Trophy will be announced as part of the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on December 8 at 9 p.m. on ESPN. The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Omaha Sports Commission, will be held January 12, 2012 in Omaha. The formal presentation of the Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted at the Harrah's Entertainment Complex in Atlantic City on March 2, 2012.
The Chuck Bednarik Award was established in 1995 and is presented in honor of linebacking great Chuck Bednarik, a member of both the College Football and NFL Halls of Fame.
Penn State football student-athletes have won the Chuck Bednarik Award four times, more than any school in the nation: LaVar Arrington in 1999, Paul Posluszny in 2005 and 2006, and Dan Connor in 2007. Aaron Maybin was a Bednarik finalist in 2008.
The Outland Trophy, presented annually since 1946, is the third oldest award in major college football. Mike Reid, a Penn State All-American and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, captured the Outland Trophy in 1969. The award named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn and Kansas.
A first-team Mid-season All-American, Still has been a significant force as the anchor of Penn State's talented and productive defense. He leads a Penn State defense that is ranked in Top 10 nationally in scoring (3rd, 13.0 ppg), total (8th, 287.4 ppg), pass (6th, 160.0 ypg) and pass efficiency defense (4th, 96.3). The 6-5, 310-pound Still anchors a Penn State defense that has held 9 of 11 opponents to 18 points or less this season, as well as six opponents to less than 100 rushing yards.
Still was selected a first-team Mid-season All-American by CBSsports.com, ESPN.com and SI.com. A semifinalist for the 2011 Chuck Bednarik Award, he was selected the Big Ten's No. 2 choice for Mid-season Defensive Player of the Year by ESPN.com.
Still is tied for No. 1 in the Big Ten in solo TFL (15.0) and is tied for third in the conference in overall TFL (16.5 for minus-75). He has recorded 4.0 sacks (minus-34) to rank among the conference leaders. Still has made 53 tackles (28 solo), with one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
In the Nittany Lions' 10-7 win over Illinois on Oct. 29, Still made a career-high 10 tackles and tied his career-high with 3.5 TFL (also had 3.5 TFL vs. Florida in 2011 Outback Bowl). The former Howard prep standout helped hold the Illini to seven points and 296 yards, well below their season averages of 28.6 ppg and 417.1 ypg entering the contest.
Still also is among the primary candidates for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year.
No. 20/19 Penn State (9-2, 6-1) visits No. 15/13 Wisconsin (9-2, 5-2) on Saturday, Nov. 26, with the winner earning the Leaders Division berth in the first Big Ten Football Championship Game. The Nittany Lions have already earned no worse than a share of the division title. The clash with the Badgers will kick at 3:30 p.m. ET and air on ESPN, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com.
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