Wildcat All-Americans
Jan 24, 2005 | General
JOSH BUHL
Linebacker
6-0, 210, 4L
Mesquite , Texas ( Mesquite HS)
2003 (Senior): Voted a team captain and team representative by his teammates... Selected as an All-American by four organizations, including first team honors from The Sporting News , second team honors by Sports Illustrated and The Associated Press, and a honorable mention by Rivals.com... Named one of 11 semifinalists for the Butkus Award... Earned consensus first-team All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches, Associated Press, Kansas City Star, Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, San Antonio Express-News , ESPN.com and College Football News ... The Big 12's leading tackler with 12.3 tackles-per-game and 184 stops on the seasons... His 184 total tackles were a Kansas State single-season record and the most recorded by any player in NCAA Division I during 2003, while his per-game tackle average ranked eighth nationally... Finished his collegiate career with 398 tackles, good for fourth on K-State's all-time tackles chart... Ranks sixth in career tackles in Big 12 history... Started all 15 games at outside linebacker during 2003... Registered starts in 37 of K-State's last 40 games, including 32 straight dating back to 2001 against Nebraska ... Hit double figures in tackles in 12 of 15 games during the season and 19 of the last 28 games overall... Finished with a game-high 13 stops (all solo) in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State ... Had 10 total tackles against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game, K-State's first conference championship sine 1934... Just missed double digits at Nebraska with eight stops... Credited with five total tackles vs. Missouri ... Saw his streak of double-digit tackles end at 10 against Iowa State , receiving credit for nine stops... With his 10-solo effort against Colorado , he moved past Gary Spani (200; 1974-77) and Jarrod Cooper (197; 1997-2000) into second in solo stops... Finished with 247 in his career, just four shy of K-State's all-time leader Mark Simoneau (251; 1996-99)... Surpassed 100 assisted tackle barrier against Massachusetts and has broke into the top 10 in the category vs. Oklahoma ... Of his total tackles, 387 have come in the last 39 games (9.9 per game), including 319 in last 27 contests (11.8 per game)... Has 28 tackles-for-loss in his career for 76 yards, including 11 in 2003... Wrapped up 2003 ranked second in single-season unassisted tackles (96), falling just one short of Barton Hundley's school record (97, 1984)... Led the squad in tackles in 12-of-15 contests... Tied his career-high in tackles for three straight weeks with 18 each against Marshall , Massachusetts and McNeese State ... Tabbed the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after his 18-tackle performance against UMass... Paced the team in both solo and assisted tackles against California , McNeese State , Massachusetts and Baylor... Named a preseason All-American by Street & Smith's .
2002 (Junior): First Team All-Big 12 Selection by the Dallas Morning News ... Second Team All-Big 12 choice by Associated Press, Austin American-Statesman and Kansas City Star ... Received third team All-Big 12 honors from the coaches... Winner of Ken Ochs Courage Award... Started all 13 games at one outside linebacker spot... Finished the year T11th on K-State's single-season tackles list with 135 and second on the single-season unassisted tackles chart with 77... Team leader in tackles, solo and assisted (58)... One of only four Wildcats with a double-figure game in tackles... Led or tied for the team lead in tackles in a game in eight of the Wildcats' 13 contests... Recorded double-figure tackles in seven games... Led K-State with 17 tackles against Colorado , the most by a Wildcat during 2002... The first Wildcat since Monty Beisel (102 in 2000) to reach the 100-tackle mark in a season... His 135 stops were the most since Kirby Hocutt led the 'Cats with 135 in 1993... Had 10 or more tackles against Western Kentucky (8/31), Eastern Illinois (9/14), Colorado (10/5), Texas (10/19), Baylor (10/26) and Kansas (11/2)... Only Wildcat to register a double-digit unassisted tackle game (at Colorado , 10, and Baylor, 13)... Credited with a career-high 13 solo stops and a career-high 4.5 tackles for loss, including his lone sack of the year, in win at Baylor... Had five or more assisted tackles in eight of 13 games... Fourth on the team (second among linebackers) in tackles for loss with 10 (-36)... Had a pair of tackles for loss (-2) against Texas (10/19)... Recovered a team-high three fumbles... Picked up eight interception yards on a lateral in the Louisiana-Monroe game.
2001 (Sophomore): Honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the coaches... Saw action in all 11 games with eight starts at linebacker... Tied for third on the team with 68 total tackles... Was also third with 53 solo stops... His tackle count was second among LBs (trailing Ben Leber's 73)... Ranked third in the Big 12 and tops on the defense with two fumble recoveries... Collected double-digit tackles in two games with 13 at Nebraska (11/10) and 10 vs. Missouri (11/24)... Twice led the team in tackles with eight at USC (9/8) and 10 vs. Missouri ... Three times was named the K-State coaches' Defensive Player of the Game ( Kansas , Nebraska , Missouri )... Credited with a game-high eight tackles in first career start against USC... Posted his first fumble recovery against New Mexico State (9/22) to go with five tackles... Against Colorado (10/6) had seven tackles, including five solo stops... Had seven solo tackles, including one TFL against Kansas ... Solid all-around performance at Iowa State (11/3), picking up his first career sack to go with his second fumble recovery and one PBU... Had a season-high 13 total tackles at Nebraska , including a career-best 11 solo stops... Tallied 10 tackles in the season finale against Missouri , including nine solo tackles.
2000 (Reshirt Freshman): Appeared in 13 games... Finished season with 11 tackles as backup linebacker... Had 8 unassisted stops... Best game of season was 0-3-3 outing against Ball State ... Had two solo tackles vs. Louisiana Tech and Missouri ... Credited with one tackle for loss.
1999 (Freshman): Redshirt season.
Mesquite North HS: Co-Defensive Player of the Year among District 10-5A players... Semifinalist for the 5A Texas state defensive player of the year... USA Today honorable mention All-USA pick... Lettered three times and was a two-year starter... First team all-district and second team all-area as a junior... First team all-district, first team all-area and all-city pick as a senior... Superprep All-Southwest selection... Ranked as the No. 3 weakside linebacker in the Big 12 region, and one of the top 10 weakside linebackers in the nation by the National Recruiting Advisor ... First team All-Big 12 Region pick by PrepStar ... Totaled 156 tackles, including three games with at least 20 tackles, as a junior... Had 128 tackles as a senior... High school coach was Buster Leaf... Lettered in track three times.
Personal: Born May 4, 1981... Parents are Charles and Denise Upchurch... Cousin, Trone Smith, played with the Denver Broncos... Joined North HS teammates Corey White and Bryan Hickman in the K-State 1999 recruiting class.
Bowl Performances: Credited with one solo tackle in Wildcats' victory over Tennessee in the 2001 Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl... Started at outside linebacker in the 2001 Insight.com Bowl... Credited with nine tackles, including five solo stops vs. Syracuse ... Also recorded two tackles for loss and blocked a pair of extra points vs. the Orangemen... Had 3-1-4 chart vs. Arizona State in 2002 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl... Credited with a game-high 13 solo stops in the 2004 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl vs. Ohio State .
| Career Statistics - Defense |
| Year | G | UA-AT-TT | TFL-Yds | Sack | INT | PD | FF | FR |
| 2000 | 12 | 8-3-11 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 2001 | 11 | 53-15-68 | 4-20 | 1-16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2-0 |
| 2002 | 13 | 77-58-135 | 10-36 | 1-10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3-0 |
| 2003 | 15 | 109-75-184 | 12-20 | 1-0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2-0 |
| Total | 51 | 247-151-398 | 27-77 | 3-26 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 7-0 |
Career-highs - Tackles: 18, three times. last vs. Marshall (9/20/03); Solos: 13, three times. last vs. Ohio State (1/2/04); TFL: 4.5 at Baylor (10/26/02); Sacks: 1, three times. last vs. Missouri (11/22/03).
