OSU's Chad Whitener Named National Defender Of The Week

Oklahoma State linebacker Chad Whitener is the AutoNation National Defensive Player of the Week for games of the weekend of Nov. 7, as selected by the Football Writers Association on America, it was announced today.

Whitener was one yard away from notching two interception returns for touchdowns against Heisman Trophy-hopeful Trevone Boykin and TCU as part of Oklahoma State's 49-29 win over the fifth-ranked Horned Frogs.

As it was, Whitener logged a career-high 12 tackles and picked off two passes – one of which he returned 42 yards for a touchdown and the other of which he returned 23 yards to the TCU one-yard line to set up a J.W. Walsh touchdown run on the very next play.

Whitener's two interceptions made him just the 10th player in school history to pick off more than one pass in a game. Whitener, who came to OSU as a walk-on and was thrust into the starting lineup when Ryan Simmons was lost for the season in week five, has 52 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions on the season.

Whitener is the second Oklahoma State defensive player to earn AutoNation National Defensive Player of the Week honors this year, joining teammate Emmanuel Ogbah, who secured the same recognition from the FWAA after his performance in the Cowboys win at West Virginia on Oct. 10.

Fifth-ranked Oklahoma State is back in action when it takes on Iowa State at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in Jack Trice Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPN.