TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes has been named a semifinalist for the Chuck
Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year, while
Horned Frog head coach Gary Patterson is a semifinalist for the George
Munger Award for College Coach of the Year.
Both announcements were made Wednesday by Maxwell Football Club President
Ron Jaworski. The list of semifinalists include 15 candidates for both of
these awards as selected by the Maxwell Football Club Advisory Committee.
Hughes tops the nation with 14 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. No other
player in the country has more than 11 sacks. Hughes is tied for the top
spot nationally with five forced fumbles. He also has three fumble
recoveries to go with two interceptions, including one returned for a
touchdown.
A junior from Sugar Land, Texas, Hughes was a Midseason All-American by The
Sporting News. He has been named the Mountain West Conference Defensive
Player of the Week on three occasions this season.
Hughes has been instrumental in TCU leading the nation in run defense (38.9
yards per game) and sacks (38) while placing second in total defense (214.5)
and third in scoring defense (10.8 points per game).
Patterson is in his eighth season as TCU's head coach. The Frogs, picked to
finish third in the Mountain West Conference this season, sit atop the
league with a 6-0 record and 9-1 overall mark.
At No. 11 in both the Associated Press and USA Today polls, TCU has its
highest in-season ranking since 2003. The Frogs are 12th in the BCS
standings.
Patterson was the 2002 Conference USA and 2005 Mountain West Conference
Coach of the Year. He was a 2003 finalist for Eddie Robinson and Bobby Dodd
National Coach of the Year.
The announcement of the Bednarik Award will be made during the Home Depot
ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 11 on ESPN. Three finalists for
the award will be in attendance for the ESPN broadcast. The Maxwell Football
Club will announce the winner of the George Munger Award via a press release
in December. The formal presentation of these awards will be made at the
Maxwell Football Club¹s Awards Dinner March 6, 2009 at the Harrah¹s
Entertainment Complex in Atlantic City, N.J.
Voting for all of the collegiate awards presented by the Maxwell Football
Club will begin Nov. 5 and close Nov. 23. Eligible voters include Maxwell
Football Club members, NCAA head football coaches, sports information
directors and selected national media.