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Oklahoma Safety Peyton Bowen Lands National Award After Mizzou Performance

The Sooners' junior safety won the same award this week that little brother Eli received last week following OU's landmark win at Alabama.
John Hoover|
Oklahoma defensive back Peyton Bowen
Oklahoma defensive back Peyton Bowen | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

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Oklahoma Sooners

By OU Media Relations

Oklahoma junior safety Peyton Bowen has been named the Jim Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week after his performance in the Sooners' 17-6 win over No. 23 Missouri on Saturday, it was announced Tuesday.

This is the second straight week an Oklahoma player — and a Bowen — has been named the Thorpe Award National DB of the Week. Sophomore cornerback Eli Bowen, Peyton's brother, won the award last week for his performance in the Soooners' win at Alabama.

OU's victory over Mizzou on Saturday was its third consecutive and nation-leading fifth this season over an opponent ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of competition.

Bowen blocked a field goal in the second quarter, which led to OU's first touchdown of the game against the Tigers. The blocked field goal was his third career blocked kick (he blocked two punts during his freshman season in 2023). OU registered its first TD of the game on the following possession, scoring on Isaiah Sategna III's 87-yard reception to take a 7-3 lead. Bowen also recorded four tackles and a pass breakup in the contest.

The Corinth, TX, product has started all 11 games this season and has registered 37 tackles, including one for loss, an interception, six pass breakups and a QB hurry.

Bowen has played in 37 career games (18 starts) and has totaled 107 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and one sack, one interception, 11 pass breakups, three QB hurries and a forced fumble.

In 2023, Bowen was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman Of the Year Award. He came to Norman from Denton, TX, a 5-star recruit who first verbally committed to Notre Dame but then flipping to Oregon on National Signing Day before ultimately signing with the Sooners the next day.

At Guyer High School, Bowen was a consensus top-60 national prospect (No. 12 overall by Rivals, No.15 by On3 and No. 17 by ESPN) and was both the No. 2 safety in the nation and the No. 2 player in the state of Texas on his way to earning Under Armour All-America honors in 2022 after compiling more than 200 tackles and 12 interceptions as a three-year starter.

No. 8-ranked Oklahoma (9-2, 5-2 SEC) closes the regular season against LSU (7-4, 3-4 SEC) Saturday at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on ABC. 

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John E. Hoover
JOHN HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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