Luke Kuechly is a tackling machine.
With his 21 tackle (9 solo, 12 assists) performance against Duke this weekend, Kuechly needs just 20 tackles in his final two games to break Tom McManus's single season school record set in 1991. He is currently averaging a ridiculous 14.6 tackles per game through 10 games.
With a bowl appearance, at his current pace, Kuechly would finish with roughly 190 tackles, which would shatter McManus' single-season mark of 165. Even without a bowl appearance, Kuechly is on track to break the record by a full 10 tackles (175).
Nationally, Kuechly is the nation's leading tackler with 146 tackles, a full 26 clear of the second highest tackler -- Kentucky's Danny Trevathan. Kuechly's 14.6 tackle/game average leads the country by nearly two tackles a game. Washington's Mason Foster is the only other defender in the country averaging over 12 tackles a game (12.67).
As Kuechly approaches the school record, remember that McManus set the mark in just 11 games, one or two less than Kuechly will play this season. That year, McManus averaged 15 tackles/game. Luke would have to rack up 49 more tackles in his final three games (16 1/3 a game) to also finish with an average of 15 a game.
Luke Kuechly Tackle Tracker (Through 10 Games)
| Date | Opponent | Solo | Asst | Total | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/04/2010 | Weber State | 5 | 6 | 11 | 11.00 |
| 09/11/2010 | Kent State | 8 | 2 | 10 | 10.50 |
| 09/25/2010 | Virginia Tech | 7 | 9 | 16 | 12.33 |
| 10/02/2010 | Notre Dame | 7 | 7 | 14 | 12.75 |
| 10/09/2010 | North Carolina State | 13 | 7 | 20 | 14.20 |
| 10/16/2010 | Florida State | 6 | 5 | 11 | 13.67 |
| 10/23/2010 | Maryland | 10 | 5 | 15 | 13.86 |
| 10/30/2010 | Clemson | 10 | 4 | 14 | 13.88 |
| 11/06/2010 | Wake Forest | 8 | 6 | 14 | 13.89 |
| 11/13/2010 | Duke | 9 | 12 | 21 | 14.60 |
| Totals | 83 | 63 | 146 | 14.60 |