ARLINGTON, Texas – Tulane senior linebacker Dorian Williams was awarded the Felix R. McKnight Trophy as the Defensive Most Valuable Player in the 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Monday at AT&T Stadium. Williams garnered a career-high 17 tackles to help lift the No. 16 Tulane Green Wave to an astounding 46-45 upset over the No. 10 Southern California Trojans.

The Indian Land, S.C., native tallied 17 total tackles to tie Tommy Eichenberg (2022 Rose Bowl Game) for the third-most total tackles in a New Year's Six bowl game. Williams galvanized the Green Wave defense with nine solo tackles and by halftime, he had already recorded 11 tackles for the contest.

"It was tough in the first half, seeing it on film and playing is two different things," Williams said. "I felt like our play wasn't the best in the first half. In the second half, I told the guys, 'Let's just go out there and play football.' We were all playing too stiff and too tight while trying to make no mistakes. I told them just go out there and play, that's something we all knew we could do."

Williams was named a finalist for the 2022 Blanchard-Rogers Trophy, which honors South Carolina's most outstanding college football player.

Williams was recognized as the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 7 and was a 2022 first-team All-AAC selection by the conference. He was also honored with an invite to the 2023 Senior Bowl and a 2022 Phil Steele first-team All-AAC selection.

Williams concludes the 2022 season with a team-high 132 tackles and 8.5 stops for loss. He is also tied for the team lead of five sacks on the season after leading the Green Wave to a 12-2 overall record.

"We feel like we can compete against anybody," Williams said. "We have the utmost confidence with the guys in that locker room. We have so much love for each other and it shows on the field."

Follow the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok.