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.

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