Sanders and Rucker Earn Walter Camp Award
In the first big weekend of the College football season Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and North Carolina’s Kaimon Rucker were named Walter Camp Defensive and Defensive Players of The Week respectively.
By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
In the first big weekend of the College football season Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and North Carolina’s Kaimon Rucker were named Walter Camp Defensive and Defensive Players of The Week respectively.
Sanders, a junior came out smoking for a new look Colorado team, setting school-record 510 yards and four touchdowns as the Buff a 21-point underdog defeated 17th-ranked TCU, 45-42. Sanders, who completed 38-of-47 passes in the game, led the team to their first win against a ranked opponent since 2019. The Dallas, Texas native connected with four different CU receivers who totaled over 100 yards each. Sanders also became the first player since 1996 to throw for 500+ yards in his FBS debut.
The 6-2, 215pounder is the third Colorado player (and first offensive honoree) to earn Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors since 2004, joining former Buffaloes Terrence Wheatley (DB, Oct. 28, 2007) and Nate Landman (LB, Nov. 29, 2020).
Kaimon Rucker (Courtesy Photo)
On the defensive side it was Rucker who recorded eight tackles (6 solo), including 5.5 tackles for loss, and two quarterback sacks.
North Carolina opened the 2023 season with a 31-17 victory over South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Classic. The defense limited the Gamecocks to just 4 of 13 on third-down attempts and 0 of 3 on fourth down. The Tar Heels, who recorded 17 sacks in the entire 2022 season, more than halved that total in the first game of the 2023 campaign with nine.
Rucker led a Tar Heel defense that tallied nine sacks and limited South Carolina to -2 yards rushing.
The Hartwell, Georgia native was the seventh Tar Heel player has earned Walter Camp National Player of the week honors since 2004. He is the first Tar Heel defensive POW honoree since DE Kareem Martin (Nov. 17, 2013).
UNC (1-0) improved to 12-3 under Mack Brown as head Coach.
“The defense stepped up and they played so hard tonight and so tough. We knew they’d be much better … This is a great start for us,” Brown stated.
About Walter Camp-, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation (www.waltercamp.org, @WalterCampFF) – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
