DALLAS (FWAA) – Rice end Zach Patt has been named the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for games the weekend of Nov. 1.

Patt

Patt, a 6-2, 240-pound senior from Honey Grove, Texas, registered a school-record five sacks, forced three fumbles and recovered one in leading Rice to a 31-17 victory over Florida International. Patt's sack, fumble and recovery at the FIU 19 on the third play of the game set up the Owls' first touchdown. He collected his four other sacks in the fourth quarter. Patt’s five sacks are the second highest total in a game in Conference USA history.

The Owls have now won five straight games after opening the season 0-3. With this week's honor, Patt will be added to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List.

Each Tuesday during the 2014 season the Football Writers Association of America All-America Committee will select a National Defensive Player of the Week from nominations made by the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences, major independents, and National Players of the Week from the FCS.

Five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy will be announced by the FWAA on Nov. 20. The winner of the FWAA's National Defensive Player of the Year Award will be revealed on Dec. 8 during a banquet hosted by the Charlotte Touchdown Club and sponsored by ACN at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is slated as the keynote speaker.

The FWAA has sponsored a National Defensive Player of the Year Award since 1993 and has named a National Defensive Player of the Week since the 2001 season. Jarrett will be added to the 2014 Bronko Nagurski Watch List.

In 2007, the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Cub added the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award, which is sponsored by Florida East Coast Railway. A top defensive player from a past FWAA All-America team (1974) is the annual recipient of that award. Former Maryland and Dallas Cowboys' star Randy White will accept the 2014 Legends Award.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is given in memory of the legendary All-American lineman at Minnesota (1927-29). Nagurski dominated college football at Minnesota as a bruising fullback and defensive tackle and could have been an All-America at any position. He then became a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,400 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 or 214-870-6516.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 21 awards boast nearly 700 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.

ABOUT THE CHARLOTTE TOUCHDOWN CLUB AND ITS SPONSORS

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 touchdownclub.com.

ACN, Inc.
Founded in 1993, ACN is the world's largest direct seller of telecommunications and essential services for residential and business customers. ACN provides the services people need and use every day including Home Phone Service, High Speed Internet, Wireless, Television, Home Security & Automation, Computer Support and Natural Gas and Electricity. ACN operates in 23 countries with offices located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information, visit myacn.com. For information on ACN's home-based business opportunity, visit acninc.com.

Florida East Coast Railway
FECR is a regional freight railroad that extends along a 351-mile corridor between Jacksonville, Fla., and Miami, Fla., with exclusive rail access to the Port of Palm Beach, Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale) and the Port of Miami. For more information, visit fecrwy.com.

Electrolux
Electrolux is a global leader in appliances for household and professional use, selling more than 50 million products to customers in more than 150 countries every year. The company focuses on innovations that are thoughtfully designed, based on extensive consumer insight, to meet the real needs of consumers and professionals. Electrolux products include refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, cookers and air-conditioners sold under esteemed brands such as Electrolux, Frigidaire, Kelvinator, AEG, and Eureka. In 2012, Electrolux had sales of $17 billion ($5.1 billion in North America) and 58,000 employees. The Electrolux North American headquarters is located at 10200 David Taylor Drive, Charlotte, NC 28262 in the University Research Park. For more information visit http://newsroom.electrolux.com/us/.

2014 Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Players of the Week
• Aug. 30: Eric Kendricks, UCLA
• Sept. 6: Kyshoen Jarrett, Virginia Tech
• Sept. 13: Josh Keyes, Boston College
• Sept. 20: Quentin Poling, Ohio
• Sept. 27: Weston Steelhammer, Air Force
• Oct. 4: Nate Orchard, Utah
• Oct. 11: Terrance Plummer, UCF
• Oct. 18: Terrell Pinson, Louisiana Tech
• Oct. 25: Scooby Wright, Arizona
• Nov. 1: Zach Patt, Rice
• Nov. 8: Cedric Reed, Texas