O’Brien Semifinalists go head-to-head in Week Nine

Big 12 South rivalry heads to Stillwater as two O’Brien Semifinalists go head-to-head 

FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 28, 2009) – The 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O’Brien) Semifinalist Match-up for week nine highlights two returning O’Brien Semifinalists, Zac Robinson and Colt McCoy, as they square off in a Big 12 South showdown. Fans can show their support for Robinson and McCoy, as well as any of the other 13 Semifinalists, by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org and voting as often as once daily. The Fan Vote will count as 5% of the total vote in determining the Finalists.

Semifinalist Marquee Match-up:

Texas (Colt McCoy) at Oklahoma State (Zac Robinson)
Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ABC/ESPN 2
The No. 3 BCS ranked Texas Longhorns and the No. 14 Oklahoma State Cowboys are set to collide on the gridiron this Saturday in Stillwater. The Cowboys (6-1, 3-0) look to upset the Longhorns (7-0, 4-0) and deliver their first loss of the season.

McCoy leads the powerful Texas offense with the second highest completion percentage (71.7) in the nation. In last weekend’s 41-7 blowout at Missouri, McCoy completed 26 of 31 passes and threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior signal-caller Robinson is on the heels of breaking the Cowboys’ all-time leading passer record, currently held by Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy. Robinson is only 218 yards shy of surpassing Gundy’s 7,997 passing yards. Robinson threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns in last Saturday’s 34-7 victory over Baylor.

Additional Semifinalist Games (alphabetical by last name):

  • Matt Barkley: No. 5 USC at No. 10 Oregon
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ABC
    The true freshman quarterback Barkley completed 15 of 25 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns in the Trojans’ 42-36 win over Oregon State last weekend.
  • Daryll Clark: No. 12 Penn State at Northwestern
    Saturday, Oct. 31at 3:30 p.m. (CST) on ESPN
    Leading the Big Ten with 17 touchdowns this season and a passer rating of 148.4, Clark tied his career high of four touchdown passes in the last week’s 35-10 defeat over Michigan. During the game, Clark, a 2008 O’Brien Semifinalist, also broke a school record with his 55th career touchdown.
  • Jimmy Clausen: No. 23 Notre Dame vs. Washington State    
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m. (CST) on NBC
    Clausen leads the Fighting Irish to San Antonio, Texas to take on the Washington State Cougars. Clausen is ranked second in the nation in pass efficiency with a quarterback rating of 161.3.
  • Jacory Harris: No. 19 Miami at Wake Forest
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC
    The sophomore quarterback Harris has thrown for 1,774 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Harris completed 17 of 27 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ 40-37 overtime loss to Clemson last Saturday.
  • Case Keenum: No. 18 Houston vs. Southern Miss
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 12 p.m. (CST)
    Keenum completed 25 of 36 passes and one touchdown in the Cougars’ 38-15 win over SMU last weekend. The victory marked the junior signal-caller’s 23rd straight game with a touchdown pass, totaling 20 touchdowns for the season.
  • Dan LeFevour: Central Michigan at Boston College   
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ESPNU
    Senior quarterback LeFevour completed 16 of 22 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown in the Chippewas’ victory over Bowling Green last Saturday. LeFevour has thrown for 1,696 yards and 16 touchdowns this season.
  • Kellen Moore:  San Jose State at No. 7 Boise State
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. (CST) on ESPN360.com
    Moore and the Broncos are coming off a win over Hawaii last week where he threw a career high of five touchdown passes. The senior leads the nation with a quarterback rating of 171.3.
  • Tony Pike (out for injury): No. 8 Cincinnati at Syracuse
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 11 a.m. (CST) on ESPNU
    Despite sitting out last week’s game against Louisville due to injury, senior quarterback Pike has thrown for 1,633 yards and 15 touchdowns this season and has a quarterback rating of 155.10. He hopes to be back in action next week against Connecticut.
  • Todd Reesing: Kansas at Texas Tech
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC
    The senior quarterback and returning O’Brien Semifinalist heads to Texas Tech in hopes of adding to this season’s 2,204 passing yards and end a two-game losing streak. On the season, Reesing has 15 touchdowns and has completed185 of 285 attempts. 
  • Ricky Stanzi: Indiana at No. 4 Iowa
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 11 a.m. (CST) on ESPN
    Stanzi and the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-0) look to Saturday to continue their undefeated season. The junior quarterback comes off a narrow victory against Michigan State where he had 138 yards and one touchdown.
  • Tim Tebow: Florida vs. Georgia
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on CBS
    The senior quarterback heads into Saturday’s game against conference rival Georgia and looks to extend the season long winning streak. The 2007 O’Brien winner and 2008 O’Brien Semifinalist hopes to build on his 1,987 yards and continue his dual threat by increasing his 466 rushing yards.

About The O’Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for any of the Semifinalists online at www.VoteOBrien.org. The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of the voting process and 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 live 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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