Big 12 officials announced Monday that Kansas University linebacker Brandon Perkins was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for his record-breaking, five-sack performance in KU’s 34-14 win over Louisiana Tech Saturday night.
Senior volleyball middle blocker Josi Lima also won Big 12 Player of the Week honors for her role in Kansas’ victories over No. 15 Texas A&M and Oklahoma this past week.
Perkins — a senior from Houston, who broke Ron Warner’s 1997 sack mark — also deflected a pass, registered a quarterback hurry, and downed a punt during his career night against the Bulldogs.
“That’s a career for a lot of guys,” KU coach Mark Mangino said, during his portion of the weekly Big 12 teleconference. “We are very happy for him, and the entire defense. Brandon does an excellent job of understanding leverage and he understands how to fundamentally beat blocks.
“Quietly, he’s been one of our best defensive players the last two or three years.”
Lima, who picked up her second Player of the Week honor in her career, recorded a match-high 19 kills on a .467 hitting percentage, with 11 digs and four blocks in KU’s sweep of the
Aggies (30-26, 30-27, 30-19) at the Horejsi Center Wednesday.
Lima — who has 1,274 career kills, just 32 short of becoming KU’s all-time leader — tied a career-high with 21 kills in the Jayhawks 3-2 win over Oklahoma on Saturday as Kansas improved to 10-1 on the season and 2-0 in the league. KU travles to Austin, Texas Wednesday to take on No. 18 Texas.
