TEXAS’ BANKS JR. IS OUTLAND TROPHY NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

TEXAS’ BANKS JR. IS OUTLAND TROPHY NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 

DALLAS (FWAA) – Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. was a force up front for Texas on Saturday as the top-ranked Longhorns pushed aside No. 18 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, 34-3. For having the offensive line’s highest individual grade that helped produce 406 total yards, Banks earned the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 12, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

This is the second season for the FWAA to select an Outland Trophy National Player of the Week as part of the NCFAA’s weekly national honors from 12 awards. The recipient of the 2024 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Dec. 12. The official presentation to the winner will be made at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee in Omaha, Neb., on Jan. 22, 2025.

The weekly winners are added to the Outland Trophy watch list going forward. Banks was a member of the award’s preseason watch list.

On 35 pass block snaps, Banks, starting at left tackle for a sixth consecutive game, allowed no pressures while the line as a whole only gave up one sack against an Oklahoma defense that ranked fifth in the nation in sacks (3.6 per game) entering the game. Banks most often squared off against Sooners defensive end R Mason Thomas, who entered the game tied for fifth nationally with 5.5 sacks and with a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss. Thomas finished with no tackles, no sacks and no tackles for loss.

Banks, a 6-4, 320-pound junior from Humble, Texas, has yet to give up a sack this season and has only yielded one quarterback pressure. He’s been the anchor protecting one of the nation’s most heralded and productive quarterback rooms with Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, both of whom have multiple starts this season. Ewers threw for 199 yards and a touchdown connecting on 20 of 29 passing attempts against Oklahoma, and Texas has not missed a beat averaging 495.7 total yards per game despite playing two quarterbacks, the seventh-best mark in the FBS.

Banks has started all 33 games of his Longhorns career and has fortified an offensive line that has become Texas’ top strength with its four returning starters. Texas continues to lead the FBS in PFF’s pass blocking grades at 93.5. Wisconsin, in second, is at 87.6.

The Longhorns’ combined blocking grade against Oklahoma was 91.5 within a 177-yard team rushing output that averaged 5.9 yards per rush. The Sooners gave up only 105.6 yards per game heading into the contest. In its dominating 21-point second quarter Texas rolled up 222 yards of offense (113 rushing/109 passing) and averaged 10 yards per play.

Banks and the line’s play under position coach Kyle Flood has led to a banner start for the Longhorns as they moved to a 6-0 start for the first time since 2009. Texas has only given up six sacks as a team, tied for 14th fewest in the FBS. The Longhorns are 13th nationally with a 50 percent third-down conversion rate, moving forward on 36 of 72 third-down situations this season.

Texas gets feature billing again this weekend, hosting Georgia in a primetime showcase Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from finalists who are a part of the annual FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects a 26-man first team and eventually three Outland finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award; ends are not eligible.

The Outland Trophy, celebrating 79 years since its founding, is the third-oldest major college football award. Created in 1946 when Dr. John Outland presented the FWAA with a financial contribution to initiate the award, the Outland Trophy has been given to the best interior lineman in college football ever since. Dr. Outland, an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1890s, eventually took up practice in Kansas City, Mo. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.

The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 13 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.

Werner Enterprises, Inc. delivers superior truckload transportation and logistics services to customers across the United States, Mexico and Canada. With 2022 revenues of $3.3 billion, an industry-leading modern truck and trailer fleet, more than 14,000 talented associates and our innovative Werner EDGE technology, we are an essential solutions provider for customers who value the integrity of their supply chain and require safe and exceptional on time service. Werner provides Dedicated and One-Way Truckload services as well as Logistics services that include 1truckload brokerage, freight management, intermodal and final mile. As an industry leader, Werner is deeply committed to promoting sustainability and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. Werner Enterprises common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “WERN.” For further information about Werner, visit the company’s website at werner.com.

The Greater Omaha Sports Committee, founded in 1977, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, consisting of more than 1,300 men and women from the City of Omaha, the State of Nebraska, and others. The Committee serves to communicate, develop, initiate and promote sports activities in the Greater Omaha sports area. In addition to the Outland Trophy Award Events and Dinner, the Greater Omaha Sports Committee promotes high school, college, and professional sports in the Greater Omaha area and the Midwest.  For more information contact Bob Mancuso Jr., Chairman at bmancuso@showofficeonline.com or see showofficeonline.com.

Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.