In
an effort to bring media attention to those
players from smaller schools that are too
often overlooked for the HEISMAN and other
major awards, NationalChamps.net presents
our third annual UNDERDOG AWARD to recognize
the best FBS Mid-Major player in the nation.
In evaluating the rich talent found throughout
the 54 schools not aligned in BCS conferences,
our commitment to finding overall excellence
in college football remains at the forefront
of our efforts.
The
players listed below have excelled and further
stand out from the many great Mid-Major
players found throughout the college football
landscape. NationalChamps.net initially
chose 55 for our 2009 UNDERDOG AWARD Preseason
Watch List, which was primarily based upon
those players’ 2008 performances.
Now, we present the 13 student-athletes
for our 2009 UNDERDOG AWARD Semifinalists.
These candidates have separated themselves
from the others on the Preseason Watch List
and stand out as the best 2009 Mid-Major
players.
As
it was in 2008, the top position appears
to again be at quarterback. The nation’s
current leader in passing efficiency (168.80)
is sophomore Boise State hurler Kellen
Moore, one of two undefeated field
generals on the Semifinalist list. The other
is TCU junior Andy Dalton,
who has forged big road wins at Clemson,
Virginia and BYU as his No.6 Horned Frogs
sit atop the increasingly competitive Mountain
West Conference.
Another
dual-threat QB with his respective conference’s
current best record (9-2) is Central Michigan
senior visionary Dan LeFevour.
LeFevour is one of three returning 2009
UNDERDOG AWARD Semifinalist QBs, with prolific
Houston junior Case Keenum
and BYU true senior Max Hall
being the others. Keenum’s 25th-ranked
Cougars, too, have Conference USA’s
best mark (9-2), while Case leads the nation
in passing TDs (36), completions (387) and
his 4,599 passing yards eclipse the next
runner-up by over 1,000 yards. Hall, who
is currently second in the nation for pass
efficiency (167.16) and tied for third in
passing scores (28) as he leads the Mountain
West Conference’s top passing program,
made a name for himself in Week 1 with an
impressive 14-13 road win at then-No.3 Oklahoma.
The final quarterback on our list is both
the No.12 passer and No.12 rusher (top rushing
QB) in the nation, UAB’s unstoppable
senior sensation Joe Webb.
Our
Semifinalist list features the two top rushers
in all of the FBS – juniors Ryan
Mathews from Fresno State and Donald
Buckram of Texas-El Paso. Buckram
leads all runners for total net rushing
yards (1,569) and is fifth in rushing TDs
(17), while Mathews sits alone as the nation’s
top rusher (149 yards per game). The final
RB on our list, Bernard Pierce
of Temple, is the lone freshman, but his
ability to lead the Owls to their first
winning record in 19 years and a perfect
conference record as they command the Mid-American’s
East Division reflect his superior leadership
abilities.
Despite
constant double-teams, Bowling Green senior
Freddie Barnes, one of
two WR Semifinalists, easily leads the entire
country in receptions (129), receiving yardage
(1,482) and is tied for the lead in receiving
scores (14). A Chicago-Heights native, Barnes
is poised to pass Houston’s Manny
Hazard and his 1989 mark of 142 catches
to become the FBS’s all-time single-season
leader in this category. Central Michigan
hybrid standout junior Antonio Brown
is known to be LeFevour’s “go
to” guy, yet despite all of the extra
attention the Miami native draws, he has
still been responsible for over one-third
of the production in the Mid-American Conference’s
top passing (efficiency) scheme and over
26% of the Chippewas entire offensive output.
Currently fourth in the nation for All-Purpose
Yards (181.8 per game, with two punt returns
for scores), Brown is one of two players
in the entire history of college football
(FBS) to earn First Team All-Conference
honors at three different positions in the
same season (wide receiver, as well as both
punt and kick returner; 2008) and is primed
to repeat this incredible feat.
Two
defensemen stand out to make the list of
2009 UNDERDOG AWARD Semifinalists. A returning
candidate from 2008, First Team All-American
senior Jerry Hughes is
constantly marked and often avoided, yet
Hughes (10th in the country with 10.5 sacks)
is the heart and soul of an undefeated defense
that ranks in the top six nationally for
most major team categories and so far has
only allowed six ground scores. By letting
in no more than 28 points (vs. Utah) in
one game, Hughes and the TCU defense are
one of only five FBS stopping units (and
the lone Mid-Major) that has yet to allow
any foe to reach the vaunted 30-point mark.
Ute
senior ball-hawk Robert Johnson
is T-11th in the country with five interceptions,
which impresses since opponents throw away
from him most of the time. Still, the 6’2
Los Angeles-product returned both an INT
and one of his two fumble recoveries for
scores to verify his game-changing abilities
for the nation’s No.10 passing (efficiency)
defense.
The
2009 UNDERDOG AWARD Finalists will be presented
Tuesday December 1st. We will name the winner
of the 2009 UNDERDOG AWARD after Championship
Weekend on Wednesday December 9th, 2009.
PRESEASON
WATCH LIST (released April 15,
2009)
Semifinalists: Monday, Nov. 23,
2009
Finalists: Tuesday, Dec.1, 2009
Winner: Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009
|