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.

###