un Belt Tops Nation In O'Brien List Candidates

[MeanGreen61]

Actually Sun Belt & MWC tie with 4 each

Sun Belt Tops Nation in Davey O'Brien Watch List Candidates

Courtesy: Sun Belt Conference

Release: 08/28/2006

NEW ORLEANS – Four Sun Belt quarterbacks were honored Monday with the release of the Davey O'Brien Watch List for the nation’s most outstanding quarterback. Florida International’s Josh Padrick, Middle Tennessee’s Clint Marks, Louisiana-Lafayette’s Jerry Babb, and Troy’s Omar Haugabook were among the 34 candidates on the preseason list.

The Sun Belt Conference had more candidates on the list than any other conference aside from the Mountain West Conference, which also placed four on the list.

UL Lafayette’s Babb was chosen as the Sun Belt’s preseason offensive player of the year at the league’s football media days in July. He currently sits in third place in Cajuns career offensive plays and offensive yards, fourth in career pass attempts and pass yards and third in career completions. The Lafayette, La. native is the most accurate passer in school history, connecting at 58.1 percent with an average 10.4 yards per completion.

MT’s Marks, meanwhile, ranks third all-time for the Blue Raiders in pass attempts, completions and all-time passing. He is currently tied for sixth all-time in touchdown passes and ranks first in completion percentage. The southpaw became the first quarterback in school history to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a season in back-to-back years.

A second-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection in 2005, FIU’s Padrick topped the league in passing yards per game, was second in total offense and second in passing efficiency last season. Under Padrick’s leadership, the Golden Panthers offense ranked first in SBC passing offense and third in team scoring offense and total offense.

Troy’s Haugabook is a newcomer to the university and to the conference, but he won the starting job at quarterback with an impressive showing during the spring after enrolling at Troy. In three spring scrimmages he completed 56-of-82 pass attempts for 559 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions.

Celebrating 30 years, the O’Brien Award is the oldest and most prestigious award in the country for college quarterbacks and is named in honor of the late Davey O’Brien. O’Brien led the TCU Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship and was the first player to win the Heisman, Walter Camp and Maxwell awards in one season.

Semifinalists will be announced in early November as voted on by the O’Brien Selection Committee, made up of a nationwide panel of sportswriters, commentators and former O’Brien Award winners. The committee will then narrow the field to three finalists before announcing a winner on ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show scheduled for Dec. 7, 2006, at 7 p.m. EST. The winner will then be honored on Feb. 19, 2007, at the 30th annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in downtown Fort Worth, Texas.

Conference Breakdown of Watch List Candidates:

Sun Belt - 4

Mountain West – 4

Big East – 3

Big Ten – 3

Big Twelve – 3

CUSA – 3

Pacific 10 - 3

Southeastern – 3

Western Athletic – 3

Atlantic Coast – 2

Mid American – 2

Edited August 28, 2006 by MeanGreen61

[BIG DAWG]

Florida International’s Josh Padrick, Middle Tennessee’s Clint Marks, Louisiana-Lafayette’s Jerry Babb, and Troy’s Omar Haugabook were among the 34 candidates on the preseason list

I am glad he was placed on the list, because it would be a shame to leave some one off as proven, and talented as Troy’s Omar Haugabook???