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Khalil Mack, the explosive junior who is the backbone of Buffalo's defense has been named an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated for the second straight season. Mack is one of twenty linebackers honored by the publication.
Mack, in addition to two straight years as an SI honorable mention MAC is also an All-MAC First Team selection for the second year in a row.
Despite missing the season opener against Georgia he led the Bulls in tackles with 94. He also led Buffalo, and the the Mid-American Conference and rin tackles for loss with 21, that ranks third in the nation. Mack also ranked fifth in the MAC with eight sacks and second in the conference with four forced fumbles.
| Ast | Solo | Ast L | Solo L | Yds | Ast | Solo | Yards | BRKUP | FF | QBH | BLKS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan St. | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kent St. | 4 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Northern Ill. | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Toledo | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami (OH) | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Western Mich. | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Massachusetts | 9 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Bowling Green | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 42 | 52 | 6 | 18 | 98 | 2 | 7 | 63 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
He had his best game of the season in Buffalo’s 29-19 win at Massachusetts, Mack tallied career-high 15 tackles, a career-best 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Mack already holds the school record for career tackles for loss with 56. He ranks 16th in NCAA history and is 19 tackles for loss shy of the all-time NCAA record. He is also tied for ninth in NCAA history with a school-record 11 forced fumbles. He is only three shy of the all-time NCAA record for forced fumbles.
Khalil joins James Starks and Naaman Roosevelt as one of the only UB players to be so honored by Sports Illustrated. Both Starks and Roosevelt made the 2008 team.