Following one of the best defensive performances of his young career on Saturday on one the nation's biggest stages, UCF's Demari Henderson has been named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
Facing 15th-ranked Oklahoma State, the sophomore defensive back was unphased as he tallied a pair of interceptions and recovered a fumble. He became the first UCF player since 2019 to secure three turnovers in the same game.
Henderson is one of just 11 players in the Big 12 Conference with multiple interceptions in a game this season and just the seventh to accomplish the feat in a conference game. He finished the contest with four tackles to lead the Knights' defense past the Cowboys in a dominant showing, 45-3.
UCF’s dominant defense held OSU without a touchdown for the first time in more than a full calendar year, as the Cowboys last game without finding the endzone was a 48-0 shutout loss at Kansas State on Oct. 29, 2022.
Averaging 180.1 rushing yards per game, Oklahoma State had -6 rushing yards at halftime and ended the game with just 52, which is the fewest for the program since Nov. 15, 2014, when the Cowboys tallied 34 against Texas.
Henderson becomes the first player in UCF history to garner Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
The Knights will return to action this weekend at Texas Tech on Saturday, Nov. 18. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT from Jones AT&T Stadium and air on FS2.