So you think nobody played defense in the Big 12 this year? This list proves otherwise, chronicling the top individual defensive performances in 2016. Incidentally, they all came in conference play. And nine of the Big 12’s 10 teams are represented.
1. Kansas S Mike Lee vs. Texas: The true freshman helped spearhead the 24-21 win in Week 11 that snapped the Jayhawks’ 19-game Big 12 losing streak. Lee contributed 12 tackles, all solo stops, and factored in two decisive turnovers -- forcing the late D’Onta Foreman fumble in the red zone that rekindled KU’s hope, then intercepting Shane Buechele’s second-down pass in overtime.