University of Houston Athletics
Kendal Briles Named Broyles Award Candidate
11/8/2018 10:12:00 AM | Football
Houston offense ranks fourth nationally in total offense and fifth in scoring offense
HOUSTON – Houston associate head coach and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles has been named a candidate for the Broyles Award, as The Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation announced this year's candidates for the award presented annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
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A 19-member selection committee of distinguished former head coaches, along with a committee representing the FWAA will select 15 semifinalists and five finalists from the list of candidates followed by an overall winner. The finalists will be invited to Little Rock, Ark., for the 2018 Broyles Award winner announcement on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
Briles oversees a Houston offense that is fourth nationally in total offense with 548.2 yards per game while ranking fifth in scoring offense at 47.7 points per game. It has scored at least 41 points in eight of nine games and has cracked the 50-point barrier in three games.
Houston's balanced offense is one of only two nationally to rank in the top 20 for both passing offense (No. 13 | 315.9) and rushing offense (No. 18 | 232.3). Showing its explosiveness, it ranks fifth nationally with 67 plays of at least 20+ yards and 12 plays of 50+ yards.
Quarterback D'Eriq King, named a semifinalist for the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien Awards, leads the nation in points responsible for with 254, is No. 4 nationally with 30 passing touchdowns, No. 4 with a pass efficiency rating of 171.0, No. 6 in total offense with 338.3 yards per game, No. 7 with 12 rushing touchdowns, and No. 12 with 2,578 passing yards.
With 42 touchdowns responsible for already this season, 30 passing and 12 rushing, King already ranks third on The American Athletic Conference's single-season chart, and is only three away from the record of 45, set by UCF's McKenzie Milton in 2017.
With 42 total touchdowns, King would tie for 29th with West Virginia and Michigan for total team touchdowns by himself.
His 12 rushing touchdowns leads all quarterbacks nationally, as he is the only quarterback in the nation with at least 20 passing touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns. King also owns the nation's longest active rushing touchdown streak with scores on the ground in each of his last nine games.
The nine-game streak also includes multiple passing touchdowns in every game as the Houston quarterback is the only FBS player in over 20 years to have at least two passing scores and one rushing score in at least nine straight games.
He became one of only three players in the past decade (Marcus Mariota and Geno Smith) to record at least 25 touchdowns and no more than three turnovers in his team's first six games.
Sophomore receiver Marquez Stevenson has proved to be electrifying with six plays of at least 50 yards, which ranks third nationally, and 12 plays of at least 30 yards, which ranks fourth. After hauling in a TD reception at SMU, Stevenson is tied for The American lead and ranks eighth nationally with nine touchdown receptions on the year.
Junior Keith Corbin has a TD reception in seven of the last eight games and is third in The American and 13th nationally with eight TD receptions.
Up front, the Houston offensive line is 11th nationally with only nine sacks allowed on the year.
