Scooby Wright III A Bednarik Award Finalist

TUCSON, Ariz. – University of Arizona sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright III is a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, it was announced by the Maxwell Football Club on Tuesday.

The winner of the 20th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thurs., Dec. 11.

Wright is the only FBS player to rank in the top 25 individually for each of these four categories (based on per game): tackles (126), tackles for loss (22.0), sacks (12.0) and forced fumbles (5).

Wright has at least 1.0 tackle for loss in all 11 games this season. He has a sack in eight of the 11 contests. In eight games against Pac-12 foes, Wright has totaled 93 tackles, 19.0 for loss, 10.0 sacks, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Wright leads the nation with 2.0 tackles for loss per game this season. He is fifth in sacks (1.09 per game) and sixth in tackles (11.5). He set his career single-game high with 3.0 sacks UCLA.

Wright’s 19 tackles at UCLA on Nov. 1 were the most for a UA player since LB Marcus Bell had 20 at ASU on Nov. 27, 1999. Earlier this year, Wright totaled 18 tackles against California on Sept. 20. His 4.5 tackles for loss at UCLA match the most since Spencer Larsen had 4.5 at USC on Oct. 13, 2007. His 12.0 sacks currently are tied for fourth-most on the school’s all-time single-season list. Wright’s 22.0 tackles for loss are tied with Rob Waldrop (1992) for third-most in single-season history.

The formal presentation of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club's Awards Gala, at the Tropicana Casino Resort, in Atlantic City, on Fri., March 13, 2015.

Arizona is back in action on Fri., Nov. 28 at 1:30 p.m. MST, hosting Arizona State in the Territorial Cup. For continued coverage of Arizona football, follow the team on Facebook at facebook.com/ArizonaFootball and on Twitter @ArizonaFBall.