Mariota, Wright headline best in College Football
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lake Buena Vista, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - If Thursday was any preview of who will win the Heisman Trophy, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota should feel pretty good about his chances.
Hopefully he has a large trophy case, too.
Mariota, a Heisman finalist along with Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper and Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, was the recipient of the Davey O'Brien Award as well as the Walter Camp Award and Maxwell Award.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The O'Brien Award winner, recognized as the nation's top quarterback, has gone on to win the Heisman Trophy in four straight seasons, including seven of the last eight.
Mariota, a redshirt junior, joins UCLA's Troy Aikman as the only Pac-12 quarterbacks to win the award.
The Maxwell Award is presented by the Maxwell Football Club for the College Player of the Year, while the Camp Award is given to the Player of the Year decided by a panel of NCAA head coaches.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mariota is the most prolific quarterback in Oregon history and has tallied 35 wins in his three seasons as the starter, including a spot in the national semifinal against Florida State in the inaugural College Football Playoffs on Jan. 1. He has passed for 3,773 yards and 38 touchdowns this season with 669 yards rushing and another 14 scores.
Only six quarterbacks have won the Heisman Trophy along with those three awards, and the last three to win the Maxwell have not been honored for College Football's ultimate prize.
Arizona's Scooby Wright III had a good amount of success as well, receiving the Chuck Bednarik Award on Thursday along with the Nagurski Award and Lombardi Award earlier in the week.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Bednarik Award, also presented by the Maxwell Club, is given to the Defensive Player of the Year, while the Nagurski also honors defensive excellence and the Lombardi is given to the nation's top linebacker or lineman.
Wright recorded 153 tackles -- 28.0 tackles for a loss -- and added 14 sacks and six forced fumbles in 13 games for the Wildcats this season. The sophomore was the only FBS player to rank in the top-25 in each of those categories.
Cooper was honored as the nation's top wide receiver, winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cooper, a junior, had an SEC-record 115 catches for a national-best 1,656 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games this season. He had more than 200 yards in three games this season.
Cooper is the first Alabama player and second SEC receiver to win the award, joining LSU's Josh Reed in 2001.
Gordon was recognized as the Doak Walker Award winner, given to the nation's top running back.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gordon finished the regular season with an FBS-leading 2,336 rushing yards, the fourth-best total all-time, and added 26 touchdowns on 309 carries. He set an FBS record with 408 rushing yards against Nebraska last month, but the mark was broken a week later by Oklahoma freshman Samaje Perine.
Louisville's Gerod Holliman was named the winner of the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back.
Holliman recorded an FBS-best and NCAA single-season record of 14 interceptions this season to go along with 37 tackles. He helped Louisville rank sixth in total defense, allowing only 293 yards per game.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Holliman, who returned one of his interceptions for a touchdown, is the first Louisville player to win the award.
Iowa's Brandon Scherff won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman. Scherff is the fourth Hawkeye to win the award and fourth offensive lineman in the last five years.
Maryland kicker Brad Craddock took home the Lou Groza Award, while Utah punter was honored as the Ray Guy Award recipient.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Craddock, the first Terrapin to win the award and just third kicker in Big 10 history, went 18-of-19 on his field goal tries.
Hackett, the first Pac-12 punter to win the award, averaged 47.0 yards on 77 punts this season.