University of Houston Athletics
Houston's Keenum Named O'Brien Finalist
11/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 21, 2011
Houston, Texas - The Davey O'Brien Foundation announced its three finalists for the 2011 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O'Brien), presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback, and Houston's Case Keenum was one of three finalists selected for the award.
Keenum, along with Baylor's Robert Griffin and Stanford's Andrew Luck (all Texas natives) are the three finalists for the award.
"It's an honor to be a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award and I really want to thank my teammates," Case Keenum said. "These are all team awards in my mind and I am happy that the folks at the Davey O'Brien Foundation recognized our team and the success we have had so far this season."
Keenum has been spectacular in his senior campaign, leading the country in passing yardage (4,269), while throwing for 38 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Keenum has helped Houston to an undefeated 11-0 record in 2011 and has topped the 300-yard barrier in each game this season. Perhaps his most impressive game of the season came during a 73-34 victory against Rice, when he completed 24-of-37 passes for 518 yards and a career high nine TDs.
Over his last six games Keenum has 24 TD passes. That six-game total is more than (or equal to) 98-of-120 Division I teams this entire season. Keenum is also among the Top Five nationally in virtually every passing category, including ranking first in touchdown passes (38), first in yards (4,269), first in touchdown-to-interception ratio (38-to-3), third in pass efficiency (186.9), second in yards per attempt (10.1) and second in completion percentage (73.4).
Keenum already owns most NCAA career passing records, including passing yardage (17,855), completions (1,427) and total offense (18,771 yards). He also set NCAA records for TD passes (145) and total touchdowns accounted for (168).
Keenum was also a finalist for the 2009 O'Brien Award.
Fans may now help determine which quarterback will win the coveted O'Brien Award by voting as often as once daily at www.VoteOBrien.org. Fan voting will close at noon (CT) on Dec. 4.
The 2011 Davey O'Brien winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards airing Thursday, Dec. 8 on ESPN. Fans can visit the show's dedicated web site at www.ESPNCollegeFootballAwards.com to find the latest college football awards news, including show details, previous winners, fan voting, a photo gallery and video highlights. The 35th Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner will be held on Feb. 20, 2012 in Fort Worth, Texas.
About the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award®
The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O'Brien) is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The O'Brien honors candidates who exemplify Davey O'Brien's enduring character while exhibiting teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership in both academics and athletics. The O'Brien is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and has given away more than $825,000 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.
National College Football Awards Association
The O'Brien is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official website, www.ncfaa.org.
