Mariota Named Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalist

FORT WORTH, Texas — University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota was named one of 16 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, the selection committee announced Tuesday.

Mariota, a junior from Honolulu, leads the nation in passing efficiency (187.20) and total touchdowns (34) while pacing the fifth-ranked Ducks to an 8-1 mark to this point in the season.  The Pac-12’s two-time all-conference quarterback, Mariota ranks second nationally in yards per pass attempt (10.2) and yards per play (9.3), while leading all FBS players in points responsible for with 204.

The NCAA career leader in touchdown to interception ratio (7.42), Mariota is also a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award and is on watch lists for the Walter Camp Award and Manning Award. He has a 31-4 record as a starter and is the only active Pac-12 quarterback with victories against all 11 conference opponents.

Fans may now help determine which three quarterbacks will advance as finalists by voting as often as once daily at www.VoteOBrien.org. Fan voting will close at 10 a.m. (PT) on Nov. 23.

The Fan Vote counts as five percent during each round of the voting process, and is combined with the results from the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee, which is comprised of journalists, broadcasters, commentators and former winners.

The Davey O’Brien Foundation and the Selection Committee will release the names of the three finalists on Monday, Nov. 24. The 2014 Davey O’Brien winner will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 11.

The other semifinalists, in alphabetical order, include: J.T. Barrett  (Ohio State), Trevone Boykin (TCU), Shane Carden (East Carolina), Rakeem Cato (Marshall), Connor Cook (Michigan State), Everett Golson (Notre Dame), Brett Hundley (UCLA), Nick Marshall (Auburn), Bryce Petty (Baylor), Dak Prescott (Mississippi State), Blake Sims (Alabama), Clint Trickett (West Virginia), Bo Wallace (Ole Miss), Jake Waters (Kansas State) and Jameis Winston (Florida State).

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