Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Senior defensive end Nate Orchard was named the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week after his performance against then-No. 8 UCLA Saturday.
Orchard had four sacks against UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, tying the school record for a single game. The team had a total of 10 sacks against the Bruins, with one series late in the game producing three consecutive sacks and forcing UCLA to punt. Orchard also had 11 total tackles as the Utes went on to a 30-28 win.
Orchard now leads the country in sacks (8.5) and sacks per game (1.7). His ability to get to the quarterback has helped Utah on its way to leading the country in sacks with 28 total this season for an average of 5.6 per game.
The 10 sacks in a single game ties the second-most in school history. Utah recorded 13 total sacks against Portland State in 1981.
Orchard joins Gionni Paul, Andy Phillips and Kaelin Clay as players from Utah named Pac-12 Players of the Week this season.
Washington State’s Connor Halliday was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for his completed 49-of-70 passes for an NCAA FBS record of 734 yards. He threw six touchdowns and no interceptions.
Cal’s Trevor Davis was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week. He became the first player in school history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game.
