Nov. 18, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky junior linebacker Avery Williamson has been named Honorable Mention Linebacker of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards for his impressive performance Saturday vs. Samford.

Williamson was very impressive against the Bulldogs, leading Kentucky with 13 tackles, including two sacks and a pass breakup. The native of Milan, Tenn., currently has 128 tackles on the season, which leads the Southeastern Conference. Williamson is averaging 11.6 tackles per game this season, which ranks him first in the SEC and third nationally in that category.

Williamson has gathered 10 or more stops in eight of UK’s 11 games this season, including four straight games. In those four games, Williamson has posted 13 or more tackles, making him the first player since Randy Holleran in 1990 to post four consecutive games with 13 or more tackles.

This is the second-consecutive game for Williamson to be recognized by the College Football Performance Awards. He also earned honorable-mention honors after his 20-tackle performance against Vanderbilt on Nov. 3.

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Kentucky Rallies to Win “Big Blue Crush”:  Trailing by 13 pints entering the final day of competition, the Big Blue Nation of lifesavers came through with 803 donations on Friday and pulled out another Big Blue Crush blood drive win by defeating Tennessee, 3,160 to 3,107.

This was the third year in a row that Kentucky fans won the annual blood battle, and after 25 years of competing, the score is now even with 12 wins each and one tie.  

“This is the sweetest victory yet. Thanks to our dedicated donors we now have a good blood supply heading into the holidays, and as an added bonus we beat the Vols for the third year in a row,” said Martha Osborne, Executive Director of Marketing and Recruitment for the Kentucky Blood Center.

“We appreciate everyone who helped us spread the word through conventional and social media,” Osborne said.  “This was definitely a team effort and a fun week.”