Oct. 6, 2008

PITTSBURGH—The national accolades continue to pile up for Pitt senior middle linebacker Scott McKillop for his outstanding performance in the Panthers’ 26-21 upset of USF.

McKillop has been named The Lott Trophy “IMPACT Player of the Week” after he collected a team-high 12 tackles – all solo –and had two quarterback sacks, three total tackles for loss and stopped a fake field goal against the Bulls.

McKillop previously had been named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and the Big East Defensive Player of the Week for his USF performance.

Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Now in its fifth year, The Lott Trophy is the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.

McKillop was selected for The Lott Trophy’s weekly honor by The Legends Football Coaches Association, including longtime Arkansas coach Frank Broyles and former West Virginia coach Don Nehlen.

 “McKillop is a five-star athlete whose play disrupted South Florida’s offense,” said Broyles. “He took them out of their game.” 

“When they sent him up the middle, nobody could block him,” added Nehlen.

Pitt will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of McKillop’s performance.

       A strong candidate for college football’s most prestigious defensive honors, McKillop (Export, Pa./Kiski Area) ranks third nationally in solo stops (7.4 solos/game), fourth in tackles for loss (tied, 1.80 TFLs/game) and 13th in total tackles (tied, 10.40 tackles/game). He leads the Big East in each of those categories.

For more information on McKillop, go to www.ScottMcKillop40.com. To learn more about The Lott Trophy, log on to www.Lotttrophy.com. The Lott Trophy is sponsored by the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation in Newport Beach, Calif., and emphasizes the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

       On the strength of its four consecutive wins, Pitt (4-1, 2-0 Big East) surged back into the Associated Press Top 25 this week, placing No. 24. (The Panthers are receiving votes in the USA Today coaches poll, placing No. 33.) 

       Pitt has a bye this week and will be back in action on Oct. 18 when it plays at Navy (4-2). The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m., and be nationally televised by CBS College Sports Network.