Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr. named Chuck Bednarik Player of the Week and Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week

No. 20 Texas junior linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was named the Chuck Bednarik Player of the Week and the Walter Camp National FBS Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday morning. Hill was also honored as the SEC’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 27.

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It marks Hill’s first career Bednarik Award Player of the Week honor, and he was previously named to the preseason watch list for the award on Aug. 11. Hill was also selected as a semifinalist for the award in 2024. 

The Denton, Texas, native earned his second career Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week honor after last receiving the accolade on Oct. 14, 2024. Texas has won 14 Walter Camp Player of the Week awards. Hill was also placed on the preseason watch list for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year award on Aug. 4. 

Hill led the Longhorns with career highs of 2.5 sacks and four pressures, and his second-highest total of 3.5 tackles for loss, to go along with a forced fumble and a double-digit tackle total of 10 in Texas’ 45-38 overtime win on the road at Mississippi State. Hill opened the game with a tackle for loss on the first play leading to a three-and-out, but his biggest plays came in the fourth quarter, including a sack for three yards that was key in a three-and-out with the Longhorns trailing by 38-28 with nine minutes left in regulation. After Texas tied the game with under two minutes to go and Mississippi State advanced to the UT 46 with one minute to go, a Hill pressure forced an incompletion, and two plays later on third down, he created a sack-fumble for a loss of eight yards that for all purposes sent the game into overtime with a forced punt. For the second, straight week, Hill and the Texas defense held an opponent scoreless in overtime, this time ending the game without the Bulldogs gaining a yard in overtime, and in fact moving backwards to their own 34-yard line on the final play of the game. The Longhorns twice were down by 17 points, including with 26 seconds left in the third quarter and 12:29 to go in the fourth quarter, tying for the seventh-largest comeback win in program history. The defense was instrumental in the comeback, holding MSU to 14 combined points in the second half and overtime. For the season, Hill leads the team 59 tackles and three forced fumbles, is tied for first with a fumble recovery, and ranks second in sacks (2.5), tackles for loss (4.5), pressures (5), interceptions (1). His forced fumbles lead the SEC and rank seventh nationally.

Behind Hill, the Longhorn defense ranks third in the FBS in rushing defense (80.8), fourth in team sacks (3.50), fourth in fourth-down conversion percentage defense (0.250), fifth in kickoff return defense (14.11), 10th in scoring defense (14.6), 16th in turnovers gained (14), 18th in passes intercepted (9) and 19th in total defense (299.9). Texas ranks sixth amongst P4 teams and second in the SEC in opponent yards per play (4.2 ypp). UT’s defense has held seven of its last nine opponents to under 100 rushing yards, dating back to the 2024 season. Additionally, the Longhorns rank fourth in the FBS in defensive stop rate (78.8 percent), curbing opponents to just 1.2 points per drive.

Up next, Hill and the Longhorns host No. 9/11 Vanderbilt at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Nov. 1, inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game will broadcast on ABC with Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline reporter) on the call.

(via Texas release)

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