DALLAS (FWAA) – Minnesota linebacker Nate Triplett has been named the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for games of the weekend of Sept. 12.

Triplett

Triplett, a 6-3, 247-pound senior from Maple Plain, Minn., notched a career-high 17 tackles
and returned a fumble 52 yards for the go-ahead, fourth-quarter touchdown in the
Golden Gophers' 20-13 victory over Air Force. Triplett had 12 unassisted tackles and a pass break-up against the Falcons in the inaugural game at TCF Bank Stadium.

Triplett will be added to the 2009 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy will be presented to the best defensive player in college football on Dec. 7 by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Five finalists for the Nagurski Trophy will be announced on Nov. 18 or 19.

Each week during the 2009 season the FWAA All-America Committee will select a national defensive player of the week from nominations made by the 11 Division I Bowl Subdivision Conferences and major independents.

Last season, Texas end Brian Orakpo won the coveted Bronko Nagurski Trophy during the 14th season the FWAA named a national defensive player of the year.

The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C., region. The club's activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship, and leadership of area athletes and coaches. For more information, contact John Rocco (704-347-2918 or jrocco@touchdownclub.com). The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is www.touchdownclub.com.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,100 men and women who cover college football for a living. 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 gameday 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 or 972-713-6198.

2009 Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Players of the Week
• Sept. 5: B.W. Webb, William & Mary
• Sept. 12: Nate Triplett, Minnesota
• Sept. 19: Donald Butler, Washington
• Sept. 26: Pat Angerer, Iowa
• Oct. 3: Rolando McClain, Alabama
• Oct. 10: Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
• Oct. 17: Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
• Oct. 24: DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson
• Oct. 31: Jared Crick, Nebraska
• Nov. 7: Matt O'Hanlon, Nebraska