Bowers named finalist for Bednarik Award |
Maxwell Football Club President, Ron Jaworski, announced the 2010 finalists for the 74th Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year and the 16th Chuck Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year. The respective lists include a field of three candidates for each of these awards as determined by the Semifinalist voting process which ended on November 21st. All finalists are listed in alphabetical order with the player's school, position and class designated.
Finalists for the 74th Maxwell Award Andrew Luck, Stanford University, QB, Sophomore Kellen Moore, Boise State University, QB, JR Cameron Newton, Auburn University, QB, JR Finalists for the 16th Chuck Bednarik Award Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson University, DE, JR Nick Fairley, Auburn University, DL, JR Patrick Peterson, Louisiana State University, DB, JR Three quarterbacks comprise the Maxwell finalists. Stanford's Andrew Luck leads the Pac-10 in passer rating and total offense, having rushed for 445 yards to compliment his 2,745 yards through the air. Boise State's Kellen Moore has guided the Broncos to an undefeated season thanks to his 28 touchdown passes. He leads FBS with a 188.8 passer rating. Trailing only Moore, with his 183.6 rating, is Auburn signal caller Cam Newton. Newton has rushed for 1,297 yards and passed for over 2,000 yards as the War Eagles are unbeaten through eleven games. Newton's teammate, junior lineman Nick Fairley, leads a trio of Tigers who are Bednarik nominees. Fairley's 18 tackles-for-loss lead the SEC; he also has 18 quarterback hurries. Clemson junior defensive end Da'Quan Bowers leads FBS in sacks, with 15.5. He is a main reason why Clemson ranks ninth in the nation in scoring defense. LSU junior defensive back Patrick Peterson has four interceptions and a blocked kick. More impressively, Peterson leads the SEC in kickoff return yards and has two punt returns for touchdowns. Last season, the Maxwell Award went to Colt McCoy of the University of Texas while the Bednarik went to conference-mate Ndamukong Suh of the University of Nebraska. McCoy and Suh now suit up for the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. The winners of the 74th Maxwell Award and the 16th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 9, 2010. The formal presentation of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club's Awards Dinner on Friday, March 4, 2011 at the Harrah's Entertainment Complex in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Voting for both of the collegiate awards presented by the Maxwell Football Club will begin on Tuesday, November 23rd and close on Sunday December 5th. Eligible voters include Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA Head Football Coaches, Sports Information Directors and selected national media. Bowers Now Finalist for Three Major Awards Clemson, SC—Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers has been named one of three finalists for the 2010 Chuck Bednarik Award. The honor is presented each year to the top defensive player in college football by the Maxwell Football Club of Pennsylvania. Bowers is one of three finalists for the award and is joined by Nick Fairley of Auburn and Patrick Peterson of LSU. All three players are juniors. Earlier, Bowers was named a finalist for the Lombardi Award and the Nagurski Award. Bowers is the first Clemson player to be named a finalist for three national awards in the same year. The Nagurski Award will be presented in Charlotte on December 6, the Lombardi Award in Houston, TX on December 8 and the Bednarik Award in Orlando, FL on December 9. Bowers leads the nation in sacks with 15.5, three more than any other FBS player. His 15.5 sacks are more than 23 FBS teams and rank as the seventh most in ACC history. He is just half a sack short of the Clemson single season record of 16 set by Keith Adams in 1999. Bowers has a sack in nine straight games, a Clemson record. He also has 24 tackles for loss, second best in the nation, and 63 total tackles, second on Clemson’s team that ranks ninth in the nation in scoring defense. Bowers and the Clemson Tigers meet South Carolina at Clemson on Saturday night at 7:00 PM in a game that will be televised by ESPN2.
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
