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Jim Thorpe was a legendary multi-sport Champion who, as a Native American in the early 20th Century, had to overcome severe Racism. Thorpe managed to win Olympic Medals, and also play Pro Football, Baseball and Basketball. A multiple Hall of Famer, Thorpe played both Offense and Defense on the Gridiron, and excelled as a Defensive Back.
So, in an effort to honor the man and his native Oklahoma, Thorpe's Award is given to the Nation's Best Defensive Back, and this year, there are two on the list from UCLA. Senior Safeties Dennis Keyes and Chris Horton both got the nod, even though only a total of 35 made it.
Both are worthy, but only Horton was named to the previous Defensive award watch list, so maybe Keyes was pleasantly surprised with the National recognition. Then again, if Keyes plays EA Sports' NCAA Football video games, he already knew that HE and NOT Horton was pegged as an "Impact" player, so maybe he wasn't surprised at all.
The advantage that Keyes and Horton have over other Safety tamdems is that they are complemented by equally effective Cornerbacks, Alterraun Verner and Trey Brown. By trusting those two out on "islands," Horton and Keyes have more opportunity to "freelance," which translates into more BIG PLAYS. That also means that Horton and Keyes might key against the Run more, so that they will make more tackles than other Safeties, but snag fewer Interceptions.
Continuing to over-think this issue, the fact that the cover Corners are so good, will force opposing QB's to challenge other Defenders, thus allowing Horton and Keyes MORE INT chances. Also, since the Bruins are going to be favored in almost every single game this season, there's a chance that other teams will be playing a lot of catch-up, and THAT means many, many more opportunities for Picks. So overall, Keyes and Horton, and the Defense as a whole, should be able to amass the kind of stats that WINS these kinds of Awards.
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By the way, we are aware of the Burglary situation, and are witholding comment, while hoping that it's another "Maurice Drew - Denny's" case of mistaken identity and/or Police over-reaction. If not, we know where he can go to find his next coaching job.
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