FORT WORTH, Texas – Four sophomores are included among the Davey O’Brien “Great 8” performers for week four of the college football season, according to the announcement made Monday by the Davey O’Brien Foundation.
The eight honorees, as determined by voting from the award’s selection subcommittee, are: Joe Burrow of LSU, Syracuse’s Tommy DeVito, Justin Fields of Ohio State, USC’s Matt Fink, Anthony Gordon of Washington State, Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, Brock Purdy of Iowa State and UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The winner of the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week Award will be announced Wednesday.
In 1938, O’Brien, who wore No. 8 as a star quarterback for TCU, became the first player ever to win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award in the same year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.
O’Brien was drafted fourth overall in the 1939 NFL Draft and earned Pro Bowl honors in his rookie season after setting a National Football League record for season passing yardage. The NFL’s highest-paid player retired after the 1940 season to become an FBI agent.
The Davey O’Brien Foundation was created in 1977, and the National Quarterback Award, the oldest and most prestigious college quarterback award, was first issued in 1981. The Davey O’Brien Fan Vote, now in its 13th year, gives fans a chance to play a role in determining the award winner by voting daily at VoteOBrien.org. Fan voting is now open.
Since 1977, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has given away more than $1 million in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit DaveyOBrien.org.
Week 4 “Great 8” Performances:
Joe Burrow, LSU, Sr., 6-4, 216, Athens, Ohio
- Set an LSU record with six touchdown passes against Vanderbilt, going 25-for-34 through the air for 398 yards in a 66-38 victory.
Tommy DeVito, Syracuse, So., 6-2, 212, Cedar Grove, N.J.
- Accounted for 372 total yards of offense (287 passing, 85 rushing) and five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) in a 52-33 win over Western Michigan.
Justin Fields, Ohio State, So., 6-3, 223, Kennesaw, Ga.
- Totaled six second-quarter touchdowns in a 76-5 victory over Miami (Ohio), finishing 14-for-21 passing for 223 yards and four scores and rushing for 36 yards and two touchdowns.
Matt Fink, USC, Jr. 6-3, 200, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
- Steered the Trojans to a 30-23 upset win over No. 10 Utah by coming off the bench to complete 21 of 30 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns.
Anthony Gordon, Washington State, Sr., 6-3, 210, Pacifica, Calif.
- Set a school record with nine touchdown passes, while completing 41 of 61 attempts for 570 yards, in a 67-63 loss to UCLA.
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh, Jr., 6-2, 225, Oakhurst, N.J.
- Guided Pitt to a 35-34 upset of No. 15 UCF by catching the game-winning touchdown in the final minute and also passing for 224 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 61 yards.
Brock Purdy, Iowa State, So, 6-1, 210, Gilbert, Ariz.
- Broke the school record for total yards of offense with 510 (435 passing, 75 rushing) and matched the ISU mark with six total touchdowns (three passing, three rushing) in a 72-20 win over UL Monroe.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA, So., 6-1, 197, Las Vegas, Nev.
- Amassed 507 passing yards (25-for-38) and 57 rushing yards with seven total touchdowns (five passing, two rushing) in a 32-point, second-half comeback win over No. 19 Washington State (67-63).
About the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The Davey O’Brien Award honors candidates who exemplify Davey O’Brien’s enduring character while exhibiting teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership in both academics and athletics. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.
Previous Davey O’Brien Award winners include: Jim McMahon (BYU, 1981), Todd Blackledge (Penn State, 1982), Steve Young (BYU, 1983), Doug Flutie (Boston College, 1984), Chuck Long (Iowa, 1985), Vinny Testaverde (Miami, 1986), Don McPherson (Syracuse, 1987), Troy Aikman (UCLA, 1988), Andre Ware (Houston, 1989), Ty Detmer (BYU, 1990-91), Gino Torretta (Miami, 1992), Charlie Ward (Florida State, 1993), Kerry Collins (Penn State, 1994), Danny Wuerffel (Florida, 1995-96), Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997), Michael Bishop (Kansas State, 1998), Joe Hamilton (Georgia Tech, 1999), Chris Weinke (Florida State, 2000), Eric Crouch (Nebraska, 2001), Brad Banks (Iowa, 2002), Jason White (Oklahoma, 2003-04), Vince Young (Texas, 2005), Troy Smith (Ohio State, 2006), Tim Tebow (Florida, 2007), Sam Bradford (Oklahoma, 2008), Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009), Cam Newton (Auburn, 2010), Robert Griffin III (Baylor, 2011), Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M, 2012), Jameis Winston (Florida State, 2013), Marcus Mariota (Oregon, 2014), Deshaun Watson (Clemson, 2015-16), Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma, 2017) and Kyler Murray (Oklahoma, 2018).