Josh Allen Named Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky senior linebacker Josh Allen has been named the Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week after his dominant performance in No. 11 Kentucky’s thrilling 15-14 victory at Missouri, it was announced Tuesday.
Allen, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound linebacker from Montclair, New Jersey, recorded 11 tackles (nine solo), including a pair of quarterback sacks, both of which caused fumbles, in the win over Missouri on Saturday. With the win, the Wildcats improved to 7-1 overall, 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference, and clinched their first winning league record since 1977.
 
Kentucky will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of Allen’s performance.
 
This is the second time Allen has received the award this season, also having been honored for his effort in the Cats’ win over South Carolina on Sept. 29. Already this week, Allen had been named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for the fourth time in 2018, as well as the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week. He is first UK player to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week since 2004.
 
Allen has been a terror on defense the entire season as he leads the SEC and ranks second nationally in sacks (10.0) and leads the SEC and ranks third nationally in tackles for loss (14.5). He also ranks second nationally in forced fumbles (five).
 
Interesting Allen notes:

• With 10 sacks on the season, Allen has the most sacks since Dean Wells had 10 sacks in 1992 and is tied for the third-most in a season
• Nine of Allen’s 10 sacks this season have come in the second half, including six in the fourth quarter and three in the third
• Allen is just the fourth player in school history to record 10 or more sacks in a season, and the first since Dennis Johnson in 2001
• Allen is the only player in the FBS since 2000 to have at least 56 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, five forced fumbles and four passes defended in his team’s first eight games of a season
• His 24.5 career sacks and 34.0 TFLs rank second on UK’s career lists

 
Allen has earned first-team midseason All-America honors from the Associated Press, ESPN.com, Pro Football Focus, CBS Sports and The Athletic, and been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week three times.  On Monday, Allen was named a semifinalist for both the Bednarik Award and Butkus Award.
 
Allen is a candidate for the Lott IMPACT Trophy award as well. IMPACT is an acronym for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity. The announcement was made today by the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation in Newport Beach, California.