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

FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 21, 2009) – The 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) Marquee Match-up for week eight features two O’Brien Watch List candidates. Throughout the season, The O’Brien highlights 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: Penn State University at the University of Michigan
Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC
In the final week before the 2009 O’Brien Semifinalists are announced on Oct. 26, Daryll Clark leads the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) 13^th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions to Ann Arbor to take on Tate Forcier and the University of Michigan Wolverines in a Big Ten showdown. Michigan (5-2) will put their undefeated home record on the line as the Nittany Lions (6-1), who have not won a game in the Big House since 1996, look to break this 13-year drought.

“I think we’ve played good, competitive football the times we’ve been there; they were just better than we were,” Penn State head coach Joe Paterno said. “I don’t think it’s particularly a tough place to play if you’re ready to go and you’ve got some kids that look forward to playing in places where there are 100,000 people there to watch you.”

The Nittany Lions look to keep the momentum going after last week’s 20-0 victory over Minnesota, in which Clark completed 21 of 32 passes and threw for 287 yards including a 12-yard pass touchdown pass to wide receiver Derek Moye.

With Forcier at the helm, the Wolverines look to keep their Rose Bowl hopes alive. The true freshman signal-caller, who has thrown for 1,027 yards and nine touchdowns, was named The O’Brien Quarterback of the Week after Michigan’s upset over Notre Dame in week two.

 Other Notable Games (based on start times)

• Minnesota (Adam Weber) at Ohio State (Terrelle Pryor)
  Saturday, Oct. 24 at 11 a.m. (CST) on ESPN
• Arkansas (Ryan Mallett) at Ole Miss (Jevan Snead)
  Saturday, Oct. 24 at 11:20 a.m. (CST) on ESPN360.com
• Oregon (Jeremiah Masoli) at Washington (Jake Locker)
  Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC
• TCU (Andy Dalton) at BYU (Max Hall)
  Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. (CST)
• Texas (Colt McCoy) at Missouri (Blaine Gabbert)
  Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ABC
• Oklahoma (Landry Jones) at Kansas (Todd Reesing)
  Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2:30 p.m. 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. 

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