Each of the Heisman Trophy finalists were college football awards winners Thursday night, but Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota emerged as a clear favorite.
Each of the three finalists for the 2014 Heisman Trophy were named the best at their respective positions Thursday as college football held its annual awards show in Orlando, Fla.
Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota won the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback, Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon was the Doak Walker Award winner as the best at his position and Amari Cooper of Alabama nailed down the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the top wide receiver in the country.
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But Mariota also claimed the two player of the year awards on the table Thursday, taking both the Walter Camp and Maxwell awards.
While those awards are no guarantee of a Heisman for Mariota—A.J. McCarron of Alabama won the Maxwell last year and Notre Dame’s Manti Teo won both the Camp and Maxwell in 2012 but did not win the sport’s most prestigious individual honor—he is the clear favorite in advance of Saturday night’s Heisman presentation in New York.
Cooper became the first Crimson Tide receiver to catch more than 100 passes in a season, finishing the SEC championship game with 115.
Gordon broke Ron Dayne’s school and Big Ten records with 2,336 rushing yards and has an outside chance to break Barry Sanders’ NCAA single-season mark.
But Mariota led the nation in passing efficiency and had a ridiculous 38-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio for the season and has been the frontrunner for the award for most of the season while leading the Ducks to a 12-1 record and the No. 2 seed in the inaugural College Football Playoff.
The complete list of award winners from Thursday includes:
Maxwell Award (Outstanding Player): Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Walter Camp Award (Player of the Year): Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
The Home Depot Award (Coach of the Year): Gary Patterson, TCU
Doak Walker Award (Running Back): Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
Davey O’Brien Award (Quarterback): Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (Quarterback): Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Fred Biletnikoff Award (Receiver): Amari Cooper, Alabama
John Mackey Award (Tight End): Nick O’Leary, Florida State
Outland Trophy (Interior Lineman): Brandon Scherff, T, Iowa
Vince Lombardi/Rotary Award (Lineman): Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona
Rimington Trophy (Center): Reese Dismukes, Auburn
Chuck Bednarik Award (Defensive Player of the Year): Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona
Bronco Nagurski Award (Defensive Player of the Year): Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona
Dick Butkus Award (Linebacker): Eric Kendricks, UCLA
Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive Back): Gerod Holliman, S, Louisville
Lou Groza Award (Kicker): Brad Craddock, Maryland
Ray Guy Award (Punter): Tom Hackett, Utah
Ted Hendricks Award (Defensive End): Nate Orchard, Utah
Campbell Trophy (Scholar-Athlete): David Helton, LB, Duke
Frank Broyles Award (Assistant Coach): Tom Herman, Ohio State
Disney Spirit Award (Most Inspirational): Sterling Shepard, WR/Bob Stoops, Coach, Oklahoma
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