July 5, 2016
By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Rudy Ford's stats and Carl Lawson's promise helped land the two Auburn football players on the watch list Tuesday for the Bednarik Award, which recognizes the nation's top college defensive player.
Ford, a defensive back, has led Auburn in tackles the last two seasons, and his 118 stops last season were the most by a Tiger since 2001. He has 211 tackles the last two seasons, and 240 in his career.
Lawson was a Freshman All-American in 2013, but missed the 2014 season with a knee injury and missed six games last season with a hip injury. His drive has been consistent, however. He was a team captain last year. He had 17 tackles in his shortened season.
The Bednarik Award has been presented to college football's top defensive players since 1995.
Charles Goldberg is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @AUGoldMine