2011 DAVEY O’BRIEN NATIONAL QUARTERBACK AWARD^®
FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

November 21, 2011

Fort Worth, Texas – The Davey O’Brien Foundation today announced the three finalists for the 2011 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O’Brien), presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback. The candidates were revealed on ESPNU’s second annual The Home Depot College Football Awards Nomination Special.

Robert Griffin III (Jr., Baylor), Case Keenum (Sr., Houston) and Andrew Luck (Sr., Stanford) were selected by The O’Brien National Selection Committee, with the Fan Vote accounting for five percent of the total vote. The committee was asked to consider the following criteria: quarterback skills, academics, character, leadership and sportsmanship.

Robert Griffin III, Baylor
The junior from Copperas Cove, Texas has been sensational so far this season. Through 10 games, Griffin has amassed 4,122 yards of total offense and 38 touchdowns. He leads the nation in total offense (412.20 yards per game) and points responsible for (23.0 points per game) and ranks second overall in passing efficiency with a 191.65 rating.

Case Keenum, Houston
After suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2010, Keenum has taken full advantage of his return to the gridiron. More prolific than ever, he has set five Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) records this season, including career completions (1,427) and total offense (18,771 yards). Keenum, a 2009 O’Brien Finalist, leads the nation with 4,269 passing yards and has accounted for 41 touchdowns on the season.

Andrew Luck, Stanford
In his third season as a starter, Luck has quarterbacked Stanford’s football program into the national spotlight. An O’Brien Finalist for the second consecutive year, he leads the Pac-12 in passing efficiency (167.35 rating) and completion percentage (70.3). For the season, Luck has passed for 2,937 yards and 31 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 133 yards and two scores.

Fans may now help determine which quarterback will win the coveted O’Brien Award by voting as often as once daily at www.VoteOBrien.org. Fan voting will close at noon (CT) on Dec. 4.

The 2011 Davey O’Brien winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards airing Thursday, Dec. 8 on ESPN. Fans can visit the show’s dedicated web site at www.ESPNCollegeFootballAwards.com to find the latest college football awards news, including show details, previous winners, fan voting, a photo gallery and video highlights.

The 35th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner will be held on Feb. 20, 2012 in Fort Worth, Texas.

About the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The O’Brien honors candidates who exemplify Davey O’Brien’s enduring character while exhibiting teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership in both academics and athletics. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and has given away more than $825,000 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.

National College Football Awards Association
The O’Brien is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official website, www.ncfaa.org.

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

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