UCLA Bruins' Anthony Barr earns Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors

UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion, and Oregon State kicker Trevor Romaine were named Pac-12 Players of the Week in football.

Barr, an athletic outside linebacker and a likely first round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, led the Bruins’ defense in a come-from-behind 41-21 win over No. 23-ranked Nebraska on the road. The senior from San Pedro made 11 tackles, including two for a loss, and helped the Bruins render the Cornhuskers scoreless for the final 37 minutes.

Barr, a converted H-Back, made big play after big play throughout the game, forcing three fumbles on the day, with the third one ending Nebraska’s best chance to score in the second half on the 12 yard-line. With Barr's performance, the UCLA defense held the Cornhuskers to 128 rushing yards on 42 attempts.

In a separate honor, the Bruins were also recognized as the nation's team of the week by the Football Writers Association of America after overcoming a 21-3 deficit and dealing with the tragic death of teammate Nick Pasquale only days earlier.

Meanwhile, Mannion, a junior from Pleasanton, California, completed 27 of 44 passes for a career-high 443 yards to go along with a school-record 5 touchdown passes in a 51-48 overtime thriller over Utah. Mannion currently co-leads the nation in touchdown passes (12), and ranks second in the country in total yards (1,237) and total offense per game (404 ypg).

Romaine, another California junior from Corona, made all three of his field goal attempts in Oregon State’s overtime win over Utah.

By Staff of The Daily Sports Herald and news services