University of Houston Athletics
Alridge Named To Doak Walker Award Watch List
8/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 31, 2007
HOUSTON, Texas - For the second time this season, University of Houston senior running back Anthony Alridge has been named to a prestigious preseason watch list, this time being selected a Doak Walker Award candidate on Friday. Alridge also is on the Walter Camp Award watch list.
The award is presented annually to the nation's top college running back. Alridge led the nation last season with his 10.1 yards per carry average, while rushing for 959 yards and eight touchdowns on just 95 carries. A preseason selection to the Conference USA First Team, Alridge posted four 100-yards games in 2006, including 225 against SMU on November 11. Alridge added 274 yards receiving and is just two yards shy of reaching 1,000 yards rushing in his UH career.
Alridge finished fourth in Conference USA with his 131.1 all-purpose yards per game, this after switching from wide receiver to running back midway through the '06 season. Alridge had an 87-yard rushing touchdown against Tulane, and then followed that up with two 77-yard running scores versus SMU.
The Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select the semifinalists on November 12, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the finalists to be announced on November 19. The committee will cast a second vote beginning on November 26 to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2007 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN along with other NCFAA member awards on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 6. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at The Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, February 15, 2008.
The award, in its 18th year, is named for SMU's three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.
The complete list of candidates, who were nominated by their universities, follows:
Tarrion Adams (Jr.), Tulsa Anthony Alridge (Sr.), Houston Reggie Arnold (So.), Arkansas State Toney Baker (Jr.), NC State Lance Ball (Sr.), Maryland Yvenson Bernard (Sr.), Oregon State Curtis Brinkley (Jr.), Syracuse Aaron Brown (Jr.), TCU Andre Brown (Jr.), NC State Donald Brown (So.), Connecticut Thomas Brown (Sr.), Georgia Kenny Cattouse (Sr.), Troy Hugh Charles (Sr.), Colorado Jamaal Charles (Sr.), Texas James Davis (Jr.), Clemson Calvin Dawson (Sr.), UL Monroe Joseph Doss (Sr.), Memphis Rodney Ferguson (Jr.), New Mexico Damion Fletcher (So.), Southern Miss. Justin Forsett (Sr.), California Matt Forté (Sr.), Tulane Mike Goodson (So.), Texas A&M BenJarvus Green-Ellis (Sr.), Mississippi Mike Hart (Sr.), Michigan P.J. Hill (So.), Wisconsin Patrick Jackson (Jr.), Louisiana Tech Javarris James (So.), Miami (FL) Ian Johnson (Jr.), Boise State Felix Jones (Jr.), Arkansas Jorvorskie Lane (Jr.), Texas A&M Rafael Little (Sr.), Kentucky Marlon Lucky (Jr.), Nebraska Kregg Lumpkin (Sr.), Georgia Chris Markey (Sr.), UCLA DeMyron Martin (Jr.), SMU Darren McFadden (Jr.), Arkansas Rashard Mendenhall (Jr.), Illinois Branden Ore (Jr.) Virginia Tech Jalen Parmele (Sr.), Toledo Amir Pinnix (Sr.), Minnesota Ray Rice (Jr.), Rutgers Dantrell Savage (Jr.), Oklahoma State Kory Sheets (Jr.), Purdue Steve Slaton (Jr.), West Virginia Kevin Smith (Jr.), Central Florida Ontario Sneed (Jr.), Central Michigan C.J. Spiller (So.), Clemson Tyrell Sutton (Jr.), Northwestern Courtney Tennial (Sr.), Tulsa Marcus Thomas (Sr.), UTEP Ryan Torain (Sr.), Arizona State Chris Wells (So.), Ohio State Shannon Woods (Jr.), Texas Tech Albert Young (Sr.), Iowa State
