ARLINGTON, Texas - Missouri junior defensive lineman Johnny Walker Jr. earned the Felix R. McKnight Trophy after being named the Defensive Most Valuable Player in the 88th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Walker helped lift the No. 9 Tigers to a 14-3 victory over the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes in a defensive battle at AT&T Stadium.
 
The Tampa, Fla., native set the tone for the Tigers' defense by racking up admirable stats across the board. Walker notched two tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss for eight yards and tied his career-high with one sack to help limit the Ohio State offense to its lowest scoring game of the season.
 
With Walker's lone sack, he also capped off the first half with a vital forced fumble on third down to help maintain a close game heading into the locker room. The junior closed out the year leading the team with three forced fumbles on the season.

Walker concludes the season with 43 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and five sacks to lead the Tigers to a successful campaign with an 11-2 overall record.
 
With a win in their first New Year's Six bowl game, the Tigers moved to a perfect 3-0 in the Cotton Bowl Classic with victories in the 72nd Classic over Arkansas in 2008 and the 78th Classic over Oklahoma State in 2014.

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