Heavy Metal - News Of ALL the College Football Awards (Nov. 6)

November 6, 2020 by Scott Farell of CollegePressBox.com

NOTE: CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a voting member for the FWAA-NFF Super 16 Football Poll, as well as the College Football Hall Of Fame, Fred Biletnikoff Award, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, the Ray Guy Award, the Bednarik Award, the Maxwell Award and George Munger Award. He is a nominating member for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy, and the FWAA All-America Team. Congrove is also a voter of the Greasy Neale NFL Coach Of the Year Award, and the Bert Bell NFL Player of the Year Award.

Additionally, Congrove is a member of the Football Writers Association of America, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, the Maxwell Football Club, and the International Football Researchers Association. CollegeFootballPoll.com is a proud partner of USATODAY Sports Digital Properties.

The National College Football Awards Association encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.

Bednarik Award – nation’s defensive player of the year
The Maxwell Football Club honored Texas’ Joseph Ossai with its National Defensive Player of the Week honor. Ossai (#46, Jr., Conroe, Texas) recorded career highs in an overtime win at No. 6 Oklahoma State with 12 tackles, six TFL’s, three sacks, a forced fumble and one fumble recovery. It was the Longhorns’ first road win over a top-10 opponent since 2010. Ossai, who plays the JACK position as a pass-rush specialist, is the first Power Five player to record at least 12 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks in a game since Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh did so against the Longhorns in the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game (12 tackles, 6.0 TFLs, 4.5 sacks). 

Biletnikoff Award – nation’s outstanding receiver regardless of position
North Carolina WR Dyami Brown (#2, Jr., Charlotte, N.C.) hauled in a career-high 11 catches for 240 yards and equaled his career best with three receiving TD’s at Virginia. The 240 receiving yards stand as the second-most in a single game in program history and are the most by an ACC player since 2018. The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation has opened its 2020 FanVote. Every fan may vote once daily on the Biletnikoff Award Fan Vote page at biletnikoffaward.com/fan-vote. The aggregate fan tally will be counted as one official vote to determine semifinalists (ten receivers), finalists (three receivers) and the winner.

Bronko Nagurski Trophy – nation’s top defensive player
The FWAA gave Texas’ Joseph Ossai its National Defensive Player of the Week honor as the Longhorns got back into Big 12 title contention with a 41-34 overtime win at Oklahoma State. Ossai (#46, Jr., Conroe, Texas) posted a career-high 12 tackles to become the first Longhorn to earn the weekly honor since 2014. Now tied as the national TFL leader with 12.5 – only four players have 10 or more – Ossai was part of the Texas defensive unit that forced four OSU turnovers to go with five sacks and 12 TFL’s and kept the Big 12’s top rushing offense to 130 yards on 51 carries (2.5 ypc). Coastal Carolina defensive end Tarron Jackson, on the Nagurski Watch List like Ossai, had a sack and a hurry that led to an interception and forced two fumbles in a 51-0 win at Georgia State. The Chanticleers held GSU to just 106 total yards. Also please note: the annual Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet has been cancelled. Finalists for the award will be announced on Dec. 9 with the recipient unveiled on Dec. 22.

Burlsworth Trophy – most outstanding player who started his career as a walk-on
The Burlsworth Trophy has pushed the dates forward for all nominations – now due by Wed., Nov. 18.  The top 10 finalists will be announced on Dec. 1 with the three finalists being announced Dec. 8. The Burlsworth Trophy ceremony will be Dec. 21 either live or virtually. 

Butkus Award – nation’s best linebacker
Virginia linebacker Charles Snowden (#11, Sr., Silver Springs, Md.) posted a career-high four sacks and a forced fumble that led to a score in the Cavaliers’ 44-41 win over North Carolina. The four sacks were the most by a UVa player since 1996 and the highest count in the ACC this season. Snowden had 10 tackles that included a key strip-sack in the third quarter. He has 7.5 sacks over the last two games. Three of the top four national leaders in TFL’s are linebackers. Texas’ Joseph Ossai (#46, Jr., Conroe, Texas) and Arkansas State’s Justin Rice (#18, Sr., Modesto, Calif.) are tied for the lead with 12.5 each and sophomore SirVocea Dennis of Pitt (#32, So., Syracuse, N.Y.) with 10.5. Rice’s 12.5 have accounted for 63 yards lost, second nationally.

Davey O’Brien Award – nation’s best quarterback
The Davey O’Brien Foundation announced Matt Corral of Ole Miss (#2, So., Ventura, Calif.) as its QB of the Week after his 31-of-34 passing night good for 412 yards in a 54-21 win over Vanderbilt. Corral had six TD passes to tie Eli Manning’s single-game school record but became the Rebels’ most TD’s in a regulation game. His 91.2 completion percentage was an SEC record with a minimum of 30 attempts and included 19 consecutive completions to open the game. The 412 yards were a career high and marked the fourth 300-plus-yards game of the season. The other QB’s on the award’s Great 8 list were Justin Fields of Ohio State, Rocky Lombardi of Michigan State, Grayson McCall of Coastal Carolina, Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati, Nick Starkel of San Jose State, Taulia Tagovailoa of Maryland and Kyle Trask of Florida. 

Doak Walker Award – nation’s premier running back
Hasaan Haskins is off to a fast start for Michigan. Haskins (#25, Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) is third nationally at 9.86 yards per carry after his two games, finishing with 56 yards on eight carries with a TD last week against Michigan State. The Wolverines’ Most Improved Player on Offense in 2019 has started six games for Michigan among his 18 appearances. He’s rushed 135 times for 760 yards and seven TD’s in his career. He led Michigan with 82 rushing yards on only six carries in the opener against Minnesota and scored two TD’s. 

Heisman Trophy – nation’s most outstanding player
Florida QB Kyle Trask (#11, Sr., Manvel, Texas) has numbers that, statistically, are the best since former Heisman winner Tim Tebow (in 2007) and are close to 2001 Heisman runner-up Rex Grossman. Trask is currently sixth in the nation, averaging 335.3 passing yards per game and is tied for fourth with 18 TD’s. Last week’s 345-yard showing against Missouri became his seventh career game of 300-plus yards, and five of his six 300-yard games are against SEC opponents. He’s posting these number with an efficient number of attempts; of the top 10 QB’s nationally in average yards per game, he’s second in attempts per game with 34.8. Trask’s three games of 300-plus yards this season tie him with Chris Leak and Grossman for the most 300-plus passing games against SEC foes in a single season since 2002. 

John Mackey Award – nation’s most outstanding tight end
Jalen Wydermyer of Texas A&M (#85, So., Dickinson, Texas) earned the award’s TE of the Week honor after catching six passes for 92 yards and two TD’s in a 42-31 win over Arkansas. Wydermyer is tops among SEC TE’s with 25 catches and has caught at least one pass in 13 straight games and in 17 of his 18 career games. His best games have come against top 25 opponents (at the time) No. 2 Alabama and No. 4 Florida, with a combined 13 catches for 135 yards. He’s the team leader with 16 catches for first downs and nine catches for first downs on third-down plays.

Lou Groza Award – nation’s top placekicker
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission recognized three kickers as its Stars of the Week. Indiana’s Charles Campbell (#93, So., Jackson, Tenn.) made three FG’s in a game for the first time in his career in the Hoosiers’ 37-21 win at Rutgers, hitting from 42, 31 and 28 yards. Campbell is perfect in Indiana’s two games, 5-5 on FG’s and 6-6 on PAT’s. He has a 40-plus field goal make in all four of his career games and leads Indiana in scoring with 21 points. UCF’s Daniel Obarski (#98, So., Chandler, Ariz.) had FG makes from 34, 38 and 24 yards to match his career best for makes in a game. His 14-point game (4-4 on PAT’s) led all FBS kickers last week. He leads UCF with 54 points. Jake Verity of East Carolina (#9, Sr., Bremen, Ga.) hit three FG’s in a 34-30 loss to Tulsa. Verity is third for third nationally with 12 FG’s made on the season. His 46-yard FG with 1:58 left in the first half gave ECU a 17-3 lead and added makes of 38 and 22 yards. His 52 points leads ECU.

Maxwell Award – nation’s player of the year
The award’s Player of the Week is Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa (#3, So., Ewa Beach, Hawai’i), who helped the Terps roll up 675 yards against Minnesota. Tagovailoa was the catalyst, rallying Maryland back from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to win in overtime, 45-44. The Alabama transfer was the sixth-highest-graded QB of the week while becoming just the third Big Ten player this century to rush for two TD’s and throw for 350 yards and three scores.

Outland Trophy – nation’s most outstanding interior lineman
One of the weekend’s feature games will have Clemson traveling to Notre Dame for a primetime encounter and the highest-ranked matchup of two ACC teams in conference history. It’s one of only a handful of games this season with five or more Watch List members on the field. So much of Clemson’s success in its 36-1 run since 2018 has been powered by its offensive line and offensive tackle Jackson Carman (#79, Jr., Fairfield, Ohio). During that stretch, the Tigers have a plus-84 margin in sack differential, 26 more than UAB in second. The edge is 28-11 this season. Tyler Davis (#13, So., Apopka, Fla.) has six tackles and two TFL’s this season. Notre Dame’s three representatives are all on offense – center Jarrett Patterson (#55, Jr., Laguna Hills, Calif.), guard Aaron Banks (#69, Sr., Alameda, Calif.) and 2019 watch list member Liam Eichenberg (#74, Gr., Cleveland, Ohio). The Irish are tied for the ACC lead in fewest sacks allowed (11) and climbed to second in the ACC in rushing offense (231.0 ypg) with 277 rushing yards last week at Georgia Tech. In the 45-3 road win over Pitt, the line paved the way for 434 yards of total offense and 115 rushing yards against the vaunted front of the ACC’s top-ranked rushing defense that had allowed just 61.5 yards per game. As the Pac-12 comes back into play, many eyes will be on the 2020 debuts of Watch List members Drew Dalman (#51, Sr., Salinas, Calif.), a center for Stanford, and defensive tackle Jordon Scott of Oregon (#3, Sr., Largo, Fla.)

Paul Hornung Award – most versatile player in college football
Five offensive players/return specialists who combined for 12 touchdowns, including four game-winners, earned their way on to Paul Hornung Award Weekly Honor roll. Clemson RB Travis Etienne (#9, Sr., Jennings, La.) had 28 touches four different ways and two TD’s in a 34-28 comeback win over Boston College. Etienne caught a 35-yard TD pass, returned the second-half kickoff 40 yards to set up another Tigers TD and scored on a 17-yard run for Clemson’s final and game-winning TD. He had 264 all-purpose yards. Georgia Southern RB Wesley Kennedy III (#12, Sr., Savannah, Ga.) had 15 touches three different ways with two TD’s. His two TD runs in the fourth quarter from 15 and 14 yards rallied the Eagles to a 24-17 win. Kennedy finished with 13 carries for 90 yards plus a 10-yard catch and a kickoff return. Texas A&M RB Ainias Smith (#0, Soph., Missouri City, Texas) scored twice in a 42-31 win over Arkansas on a 35-yard reception and a 14-yard run and also returned punts. He accounted for five first downs and had two returns of 10 or more yards. Florida WR Kadarius Toney (#1, Sr., Mobile, Ala.) scored three TD’s in a 41-17 win over Missouri. He caught TD passes on back-to-back plays in the second quarter on 18- and 30-yard plays, the first erased a Mizzou lead and the second proved to be the game-winner. He later scored on a 16-yard run lining up as a Wildcat quarterback. Rice WR Austin Trammell (#10, Sr., Spring, Texas) had seven catches for 143 yards and three TD’s in the Owls’ 30-6 win at Southern Miss. He turned a short pass into a 72-yard early score and later had 14- and 13-yard TD catches. He also returned kickoffs and punts. 

Paycom Jim Thorpe Award – nation’s best defensive back
Georgia senior safety Richard LeCounte (#2, Sr., Riceboro, Ga.) earned the award’s Player of the Week nod after registering a career-high 13 stops along with three pass breakups and a fumble recovery in the Bulldogs’ 14-3 win at Kentucky. LeCounte anchored a defensive backfield that held Kentucky to 91 yards passing and scoreless in the second half. He is third on the team with 26 stops and leads the team with three interceptions, which is tied for the national lead. Louisiana Tech safety Bee Jay Williamson (#4, So., Dallas, Texas) had 10 tackles, a career-best two interceptions and a forced fumble to set up the game-winning field goal in a win over UAB. Williamson’s three interceptions tie for the national lead, the last of which he took back 79 yards for a TD against UAB.

Ray Guy Award – nation’s best punter
The Augusta Sports Council announced Tyson Dyer (#96, Sr., Queensland, Austraila) of New Mexico as its Punter of the Week. Dyer punted six times in the Lobos’ season opener, averaging 44.8 yards and allowing just one return for zero yards. Five of the punts pinned San Jose State inside its own 20-yard line and inside the 10 twice. Dyer was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist last year. The other three members of “Ray’s 4” were Ryan Bujcevski of Texas, Nolan Cooney of Syracuse and Max Duffy of Kentucky.

Rimington Trophy – nation’s premier center
Maryland’s big win over Minnesota last week and its offensive explosion was keyed up front by center Johnny Jordan (#73, Sr., Leesburg, Va.). The two-time Watch List member and 2019 Academic All-Big Ten player has started 14 games at center over two seasons and blocked for QB Taulia Tagovailoa’s big day as he accumulated 453 yards and five TD’s. 

Walter Camp Award – nation’s most outstanding player
Texas junior Joseph Ossai was named the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week. It is the 10th time since 2004 and second time this season for a Longhorn to be recognized with a weekly award from the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Ossai logged 12 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery – all career-high marks in Texas’ come-from-behind road win over No. 6 Oklahoma State. Ole Miss QB Matt Corral (#2, So., Ventura, Calif.) threw twice as many TD passes (six) as incompletions (three) in the Rebels’ 54-21 win over Vanderbilt to earn the Offensive Player of the Week. Corral was 31-of-34 passing for a career-high 412 yards and his six TD’s tied the school’s single-game record. His 19 consecutive completions to open the game also set a school record.

William V. Campbell Trophy – nation’s premier scholar-athlete
The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame will announce the 12 finalists for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy Presented by Mazda at noon ET next Thu., Nov. 12 via a press release and on social media. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. The 12 finalists will be selected from the record 199 semifinalists from all divisions of play who were nominated by their schools in 2020 as the best all-around student-athletes on their respective team. Each of the 12 finalists will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The eventual winner’s postgraduate scholarship will be increased to $25,000.

Wuerffel Trophy – exemplary community service and academic achievement
The Wuerffel Trophy sends birthday wishes to our first-ever recipient, old man Rudy Niswanger of LSU, who turns 38 on Mon., Nov. 9! Happy Birthday, Rudy!