O’Brien candidates go head-to-head in this week’s games

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 30, 2009) – The 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) Marquee Match-up for week five features two O’Brien Watch List candidates. Throughout the season, The O’Brien will highlight weekly match-ups which spotlight O’Brien candidates as they vie for the prestigious award honoring the nation’s best quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Marquee Match-up: Washington at Notre Dame
Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on NBC
Washington is on the road again this week with Jake Locker leading the Huskies (2-2) to South Bend as they square off against the Fighting Irish (3-1) and Jimmy Clausen. Notre Dame has defeated Washington in all seven previous meetings.

Last weekend, the Fighting Irish rallied in the final minute to beat Purdue (24-21) when Clausen threw the game-winning 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph with 24 seconds left. Clausen, a junior, has thrown for 1,122 yards and 10 touchdowns this season and has a quarterback rating of 172.9, which ranks him fourth in the nation.

During a weekly press conference, Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis commented on Locker, “He’s a frontline quarterback. He can make the tough throws. All you have to do is see the last drive of the USC game and you know that kid is a play maker.”

Locker, previously named O’Brien QB of the Week, leads the Pac-10 in passing with 1,002 yards this season. Despite the Huskies’ upset over the University of Southern California, signal-caller Locker looks to help the Huskies rebound from a 34-14 loss to Stanford last weekend.

 Other Notable Games (based on start times)

• LSU (Jordan Jefferson) at Georgia (Joe Cox)
  Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on CBS
• North Carolina State (Russell Wilson) at Wake Forest (Riley Skinner)
  Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ESPNU
• Penn State (Daryll Clark) at Illinois (Juice Williams)
  Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC
• Oklahoma (Landry Jones*) at Miami (Jacory Harris)
  Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ABC
• USC (Matt Barkley) at California (Kevin Riley)
  Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ABC

* Named starter at time of release

About The O’Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for any of the 120 FBS quarterbacks online at www.VoteOBrien.org. The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of the voting process. The Fan Vote will be combined with the results from the Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, commentators, broadcasters and former Winners. The 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing Dec. 10 on ESPN and will be honored at the 33^rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien.

 # # #

Keenum’s last minute TD run leads Houston over Texas Tech

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 28, 2009) – The Davey O’Brien Foundation has named junior Case Keenum of the University of Houston the O’Brien Quarterback of the Week for week four. In The O’Brien Marque Match-up for week four, Keenum led the Cougars to a come back win over Texas Tech, 29-28. The Cougars victory marked the second straight win over a Big 12 opponent this season and moved Houston up to No. 12 in the AP Top 25 poll this week.

In front of a record crowd of 32,114 at Robertson Stadium, Keenum passed for 435 yards and one touchdown. Trailing 21-13 at the end of the first half, the Cougar offense kept the 95-yard game winning drive alive when Keenum completed a 7-yard pass to Patrick Edwards on fourth-and-three. Keenum then ran for the game-winning 4-yard touchdown with 49 seconds remaining.   

Heading into the shootout Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach said of Keenum, “He is a good player. I think he is really good, very quick-footed, real accurate and he does a really good job of leading his unit.”

Keenum’s leadership on the field Saturday night helped him set a school record of 19 consecutive games with a touchdown pass, surpassing former O’Brien Winner, Andre Ware. 

The Cougars will kick off conference play on the road against UTEP on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 8:05 p.m. (CST).

Other quarterbacks who received votes in week four included:

Jimmy Clausen            Notre Dame      IND
B.J. Daniels                 South Florida    Big East
Blaine Gabbert             Missouri           Big 12
Jeremiah Masoli           Oregon             Pac-10
Colt McCoy                  Texas              Big 12
Greg McElroy               Alabama          SEC
Tony Pike                     Cincinnati        Big East
Todd Reesing                Kansas           Big 12
Tim Tebow                    Florida            SEC

The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year. Each week a subset of The O’Brien Selection Committee will name the quarterback of the week who exemplifies the award’s standards. Currently all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterbacks are candidates for the award until Semifinalists are announced Oct. 26. Finalists will be announced Nov. 23 and the 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced Dec. 10.

About The O’Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for any of the 120 FBS quarterbacks online at www.VoteOBrien.org. The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of the voting process. The Fan Vote will be combined with the results from the Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, commentators, broadcasters and former Winners. The 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing Dec. 10 on ESPN and will be honored at the 33^rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien.

###

O’Brien candidates go head-to-head in this week’s games

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 23, 2009) – The 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) Marquee Match-up for week four features two O’Brien Watch List candidates. Throughout the season, The O’Brien will highlight weekly match-ups which spotlight O’Brien candidates as they vie for the prestigious award honoring the nation’s best quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Marquee Match-up: Texas Tech at Houston
Saturday, Sept. 26 at 8:15 p.m. (CST) on ESPN 2
The Texas Tech Red Raiders, led by Taylor Potts, will head to Houston for a shootout against the No. 17 Houston Cougars with Case Keenum at the helm. The primetime match-up of two former Southwest Conference rivals will be the first time they have met in 14 years and is expected to draw the largest crowd in the history of Robertson Stadium.

Houston and Texas Tech have two of the strongest passing attacks in the nation this season. The Cougars, coming off a bye-week, will fight to keep the momentum going after they upset Oklahoma State, 45-35, where Keenum completed 32 of 46 for 366 yards and three touchdowns.  Houston, ranked fifth in total offense, will have to put the pressure on the Red Raiders’ spread offense and signal-caller Potts who leads the NCAA with 1,281 passing yards. The Red Raiders head into Saturday’s sold out game after suffering their first loss of the season to No. 2 Texas where Potts threw for over 400 yards and three touchdowns.

Other Notable Games (based on start times)

• Arkansas (Ryan Mallett) at Alabama (Greg McElroy)
  Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2:30 p.m. (CST)
• California (Kevin Riley) at Oregon (Jeremiah Masoli)
  Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC
• Illinois (Juice Williams) at Ohio State (Terrelle Pryor)
  Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC
• Miami (Jacory Harris) at Virginia Tech (Tyrod Taylor)
  Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC

About The O’Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for any of the 120 FBS quarterbacks online at www.VoteOBrien.org. The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of the voting process. The Fan Vote will be combined with the results from the Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, commentators, broadcasters and former Winners. The 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing Dec. 10 on ESPN and will be honored at the 33^rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien. 

# # #

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 22, 2009) – The Davey O’Brien Foundation announced today its  2009 Davey O’Brien Legends Award recipient, Dan Fouts, in recognition of his life-long contributions to the game of football. Fouts will be presented with the award at the 33^rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner on Feb. 15, 2010 at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

“It is an honor to be recognized among my peers for this award and to be recognized among some of football’s greatest quarterbacks,” said Dan Fouts. 

The Davey O’Brien Legends Award recognizes a college or professional quarterback who has made a significant contribution to the game of football, distinguished himself as an extraordinary leader and demonstrated exemplary conduct on and off the football field. The award was established in 2001 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Davey O’Brien Foundation. Previous recipients include Joe Theismann (2008), Steve Spurrier (2007), Paul Hornung (2006), Len Dawson (2005), Archie Manning (2004), Terry Bradshaw (2003), Bart Starr (2002) and Roger Staubach (2001).

“Our tradition of recognizing quarterbacks who exemplify the spirit of Davey O’Brien with this award based on their contributions on and off the field continues,” said Scott Murray, Chair of the Legends Committee for the Davey O’Brien Foundation. “We are pleased to include Mr. Fouts in this elite circle of men.”

Originally from San Francisco, Dan Fouts played college football at the University of Oregon where he was as an All-Pac 8 quarterback and set 19 school records, including passing yardage (5,995) and total offense (5,871), a record that stood for 14 years. Fouts was named Alumni Man of the Year in 1993 by the University of Oregon. 

Fouts entered the NFL Draft in 1973 and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third-round. His Hall of Fame career with the Chargers ended in 1987 with 3,297 of 5,604 completions for 43,040 total passing yards with 254 touchdowns, 476 rushing yards and 13 additional touchdowns. As the first NFL quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards in three consecutive seasons, Fouts set a NFL record during the 1981 season when he threw his career high of 4,802 yards.

Fouts retired from the NFL after 15 seasons and 201 games with the Chargers where he was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and the 1983 Pro Bowl MVP. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993 and his number 14 jersey is only the second jersey to ever be retired by the Chargers. In addition, Fouts has been named into the California Sports Hall of Fame, San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame, San Diego Hall of Champions Hall of Fame, State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, San Francisco Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Oregon Hall of Fame. 

Career highlights and accolades include three-time First-team All-Pro selections, two-time All- AFC selections and AFC Most Valuable Player in 1979. In 1982, he was named the league co-MVP, NFL MVP by the Pro Football Writers of America, AFC Player of the Year by United Press International and NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. In 1990, Fouts was honored by Nike, whose campus consists of 17 buildings named after legendary Nike athletes, when they named a building after him at the Nike World Headquarters Walk of Fame in Beaverton, Ore.

After a successful run in the NFL, Fouts began his career in broadcasting in 1988 as a NFL analyst on CBS. He did a three year stint as a sports anchor on KPIX-TV in San Francisco, winning two local Emmy Awards before joining ABC Sports in 1997. There Fouts served as a commentator on ABC’s “Monday Night Football,” a college football analyst alongside Brent Musburger and Keith Jackson and a play-by-play announcer with partner Tim Brant covering Pac-10 college football. Fouts returned to CBS in 2008 and can be seen on The NFL on CBS as an analyst alongside long-time announcer Dick Enberg.

Dan and his wife, Jeri, reside in Sisters, Ore., with their four children.   

About The Davey O’Brien Foundation
The Davey O’Brien Foundation was founded in 1977 to honor and remember the strong character and leadership of football great, Davey O’Brien. Widely known for its Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®, the Foundation recognizes champions on and off the field through national awards programs encouraging academic and career success. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field to leadership in life. The Davey O’Brien Legends Award was established in 2001 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Foundation and to pay tribute to Davey O’Brien. The Legends Award recognizes a college or professional quarterback who has made a significant contribution to the game of football, distinguished himself as an extraordinary leader and demonstrated exemplary conduct on and off the field. More information about the Foundation can be found at www.DaveyOBrien.org.

# # #

Locker leads Huskies to upset over No. 3 USC Trojans

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 21, 2009) – The Davey O’Brien Foundation has named Jake Locker of the University of Washington the O’Brien Quarterback of the Week for week three. Locker, a 2009 O’Brien Watch List candidate, helped the Huskies shock the college football world with their upset over the undefeated and then ranked No. 3 University of Southern California Trojans, a win that landed them at No. 24 in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll.

In the Pac-10 Conference opener, the 16-13 win was the Huskies first win over the Trojans since 2001, in what was Pete Carroll’s first season at USC, and ended a seven-game losing streak to the Trojans. USC was also the highest ranked team beaten by Washington at home since Nov. 14, 1981. Junior quarterback Locker completed 21-of-35 for 237 yards and found the end zone on a four yard run, late in the first quarter.

“I can’t really describe it,” Jake Locker said, his voice hoarse following emotional tears. “It’s an amazing feeling to go through what all of us have gone through and to experience what everyone wants to experience when they play college football.”

Washington is on the road Saturday, Sept. 26 as they take on Stanford at 8 p.m. (CST).

Other quarterbacks who received votes in week three included:

Jimmy Clausen             Notre Dame      IND
Joe Cox                       Georgia            SEC
Jacory Harris                Miami               ACC
Landry Jones               Oklahoma          Big 12
Ryan Mallett                Arkansas           SEC
Todd Reesing               Kansas             Big 12
Tyrod Taylor                 Virginia Tech     ACC
Tim Tebow                   Florida              SEC

The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year. Each week a subset of The O’Brien Selection Committee will name the quarterback of the week who exemplifies the award’s standards. Currently all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterbacks are candidates for the award until Semifinalists are announced Oct. 26. Finalists will be announced Nov. 23 and the 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced Dec. 10.

About The O’Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for any of the 120 FBS quarterbacks online at www.VoteOBrien.org. The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of the voting process. The Fan Vote will be combined with the results from the Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, commentators, broadcasters and former Winners. The 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing Dec. 10 on ESPN and will be honored at the 33^rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien.

###

O’Brien candidates go head-to-head in this week’s games

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 16, 2009) – The 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) Marquee Match-up for week three features two O’Brien Watch List candidates. Throughout the season, The O’Brien will highlight weekly match-ups which spotlight O’Brien candidates as they vie for the prestigious award honoring the nation’s best quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Marquee Match-up: Texas Tech at Texas
Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ABC
The primetime match-up kicks off Big 12 play as the Texas Tech Red Raiders, led by Taylor Potts, hit the road to take on Colt McCoy and the No. 2 Texas Longhorns in front of 100,000 fans at Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin this Saturday. 

In the 59^th annual meeting of the Big 12 rivals, Texas leads the series, 43-15, but the Red Raiders have momentum coming off last year’s upset over Texas, at home, in the Longhorns’ only loss of the season. The grudge match was the most watched game of the season on ABC.    

Junior quarterback Potts was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after the Red Raider victory over Rice last week where he threw for 456 yards and seven touchdowns. At the helm of the Longhorns’ offense, McCoy, 2008 O’Brien Finalist, has thrown for 654 yards and five touchdowns this season. Both quarterbacks will clash on the gridiron to defend their undefeated 2-0 record as they compete for the coveted O’Brien.

 Other Notable Games (based on start times)

• California (Kevin Riley) at Minnesota (Adam Weber)
  Saturday, Sept. 19 at 11 a.m. (CST) on ESPN
• Tennessee (Jonathan Crompton) at Florida (Tim Tebow)
  Saturday Sept. 19 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on CBS
• USC (Matt Barkley) at Washington (Jake Locker)
  Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC

About The O’Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for any of the 120 FBS quarterbacks online at www.VoteOBrien.org. The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of the voting process. The Fan Vote will be combined with the results from the Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, commentators, broadcasters and former Winners. The 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing Dec. 10 on ESPN and will be honored at the 33^rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien. 

# # #

Forcier leads Wolverines to victory over Fighting Irish

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 14, 2009) – The Davey O’Brien Foundation has named Tate Forcier of the University of Michigan the O’Brien Quarterback of the Week for week two. This honor adds him to The O’Brien Watch List previously announced in August. The Wolverines defeat of the then ranked No. 18 ranked Fighting Irish advanced them to No. 25 in the AP Top 25 poll this week.

In the long standing rivalry among two of the NCAA’s winningest schools in college football history, the true freshmen quarterback completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Greg Matthews with 11 seconds left to complete the game-winning drive leading his team to a victory over Notre Dame, 38-34. Forcier threw for 240 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 23-of-33 completions as well as ran for 70 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s kind of a unique individual,” Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez said of Forcier. “Everything around him may be going crazy, and yet he’s still calm in the middle of the storm. Some guys have that quality and he’s one of them.” Charlie Weis, Notre Dame’s head coach, concurred by saying, “For a freshman, I thought he managed the game very well.”

Michigan plays Eastern Michigan in “The Big House” this Saturday, Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. (CST) on the Big Ten Network.

Other quarterbacks who received votes in week two included:

Matt Barkley                USC                             Pac-10
Max Hall                      BYU                            Mountain West
Case Keenum              Houston                       Conference USA
Dan LeFevour              Central Michigan           Mid-America
Colt McCoy                 Texas                           Big 12
Tim Tebow                   Florida                         SEC

The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year. Each week a subset of The O’Brien Selection Committee will name the quarterback of the week who exemplifies the award’s standards. Currently all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterbacks are candidates for the award until Semifinalists are announced Oct. 26. Finalists will be announced Nov. 23 and the 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced Dec. 10.

About The O’Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for any of the 120 FBS quarterbacks online at www.VoteOBrien.org. The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of the voting process. The Fan Vote will be combined with the results from the Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, commentators, broadcasters and former Winners. The 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing Dec. 10 on ESPN and will be honored at the 33^rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien.

###

O’Brien candidates go head-to-head in this week’s games

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 10, 2009) – The 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) Marquee Match-up for week two features two O’Brien Watch List candidates. Throughout the season, The O’Brien will highlight weekly match-ups which spotlight O’Brien candidates as they vie for the prestigious award honoring the nation’s best quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Marquee Match-up: Houston at Oklahoma State
Saturday, Sept. 12 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on FSN
Case Keenum leads the University of Houston Cougars to Stillwater, Okla. as they square off against 2008 O’Brien Semifinalist quarterback Zac Robinson and the No. 5 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. This Conference USA/ Big 12 match-up will be a showdown of passing games as the two continue their campaign for The O’Brien and hope to keep their winning seasons alive.

Keenum heads into Saturday’s game after his season opening victory last week where, in a little more than two quarters, the junior quarterback passed for 359 yards and four passing touchdowns leading to the Cougars’ defeat of Northwestern, 55-7. Robinson, who will play in front of his home crowd Saturday, looks to improve passing numbers after a hard-fought battle against SEC’s Georgia where he passed for 135 yards and two passing touchdowns.

Other Notable Games (based on start times)

• Kansas (Todd Reesing) at UTEP (Trevor Vittatoe)
  Saturday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. (CST)
• USC (Matt Barkley) at Ohio State (Terrelle Pryor)
  Saturday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ESPN

About The O’Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for any of the 120 FBS quarterbacks online at www.VoteOBrien.org. The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of the voting process. The Fan Vote will be combined with the results from the Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, commentators, broadcasters and former Winners. The 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing Dec. 10 on ESPN and will be honored at the 33^rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien. 

# # #

Hall leads Cougars to victory over No. 3 Sooners

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 9, 2009) – The Davey O’Brien Foundation has named senior Max Hall of Brigham Young University the O’Brien Quarterback of the Week for week one. The 2008 O’Brien Semifinalist opened the season with an outstanding performance against the Oklahoma Sooners Saturday during the first college football game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In the second meeting between the two, the Cougar’s signal caller, Hall threw for 329 yards and completed two touchdown passes leading BYU to an upset win over the then ranked No. 3 Sooners, 14-13.  Hall’s on-field performance and team leadership helped BYU jump 11 spots to No. 9 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll this week.

The primetime game was the first win over an AP Top 10 ranked non-conference team since 1990 when the Cougars defeated No. 1 Miami, 28-21. When asked how the team handled the game, Hall said, “We overcame the chaos – Whereas in games past, we folded in the chaos.”

The Cougars are on the road again Saturday, Sept. 12 as they take on Tulane at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ESPN 2.

Other quarterbacks who received votes in week one included:

Matt Barkley                   USC                  Pac-10
Jimmy Clausen               Notre Dame        IND
Jonathan Crompton         Tennessee         SEC
Blaine Gabbert                Missouri            Big 12
Jacory Harris                  Miami                ACC
Colt McCoy                    Texas                Big 12
Tony Pike                      Cincinnati           Big East
Tim Tebow                     Florida               SEC

The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year. Each week a subset of The O’Brien Selection Committee will name the quarterback of the week who exemplifies the award’s standards. Currently all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterbacks are candidates for the award until Semifinalists are announced Oct. 26. Finalists will be announced Nov. 23 and the 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced Dec. 10.

About The O’Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for any of the 120 FBS quarterbacks online at www.VoteOBrien.org. The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of the voting process. The Fan Vote will be combined with the results from the Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, commentators, broadcasters and former Winners. The 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing Dec. 10 on ESPN and will be honored at the 33rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien.

###

Fan Vote and Sweepstakes open for O’Brien Quarterback Award

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 8, 2009) – The Davey O’Brien Foundation announced today that the fan vote for the 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) is now open. Fans can register and cast their vote for their favorite quarterback by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org. The 2009 season marks the third season of the Fan Vote, which counts for 5% of each round of the voting process. 

“The O’Brien Award gives fans the opportunity to let their voices be heard in this process as we determine the Winner,” said Danielle Moorman, executive director of the Davey O’Brien Foundation. “We have watched the fan participation increase each season and with the quarterback competition this year, we expect the same.”  

Registered fans also have the opportunity to be entered into the “Defend Your Pride. VoteO’Brien.org Sweepstakes.” The winner and a guest will receive a trip to the 2010 Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas. The annual O’Brien event includes an opening reception, press conference and Awards Dinner. The sweepstakes winner will also be amongst some of college football greats including The O’Brien Winner, Legends Winner, Founder’s Winner, former O’Brien Winners as well as other distinguished guests. 

 Fans can register and vote by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org. Each fan must complete an online registration in order to cast a vote with the option of entering into the “Defend Your Pride. VoteO’Brien.org Sweepstakes.” Once registered, voters may vote as often as once daily while voting is open. For complete rules visit www.VoteOBrien.org.

 The Fan Vote Process

 Round One: Sept. 8 – Oct. 25
Beginning Sept. 8, fans will have all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision starting quarterbacks to choose from until the voting closes at noon Central Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 25. The Fan Vote will count for 5% of the overall Semifinalist vote. Semifinalists will be announced Oct. 26.

Round Two: Oct. 26 – Nov. 22
The Fan Vote will re-open October 26 following the announcement of the Semifinalists. Fans may vote for quarterbacks on the Semifinalist List to help determine which three will advance as Finalists. Fan voting will close at noon CST on Nov. 22. The Fan Vote will count for 5% of the overall Finalist vote. Finalists will be announced Nov. 23.

 Round Three: Nov. 23 – Dec. 6
The Fan Vote will re-open for the final round of voting on Nov. 23 following the announcement of the three Finalists. Fans may select from the three Finalists to help determine who will be The O’Brien Winner. Fan voting will close at noon CST on Dec. 6. The Fan Vote will count for 5% of the overall Winner vote.

 The Fan Vote will be combined with the results from The O’Brien Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, commentators, broadcasters and former Winners. The 2009 Winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing December 10 on ESPN and will be honored at the 33^rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.

 About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien.

# # #