University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Kelly Named to O?Brien Watch List
8/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Kelly Named to O?Brien Watch List
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? Southern Miss quarterback Jeff Kelly has been named to the Davey O?Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List to the nation?s top college quarterback.
The fifth-year senior collected 2,381 passing yards and 15 touchdown passes while completing 198-of-341 passes during the 2000 season. He received recognition as Street & Smith?s 2001 Preseason All-American, and last year, he was a Verizon Second-Team Academic All-American, finishing behind Academic All-American of the Year Drew Brees of Purdue.
Four other Conference USA quarterbacks also were named to the watch list, including East Carolina senior David Garrard, TCU junior Casey Printers, Tulane senior Patrick Ramsey and Louisville senior Dave Ragone. A total of 30 candidates was mentioned.
The remainder of the quarterbacks on the watch list include: Kyle Boller, California, Jr.; Eric Crouch, Nebraska, Sr.; Woodrow Dantzler, Clemson, Sr.; Rohan Davey, LSU, Sr.; Ken Dorsey, Miami (Fla.), Jr.; David Carr, Fresno State, Sr.; Casey Clausen, Tennessee, So.; Ronald Curry, North Carolina, Sr.; K.C. Enzminger, New Mexico State, Sr.; Mark Farris, Texas A&M, Jr.; George Godsey Georgia Tech, Sr.; Rex Grossman, Florida, So.; Joey Harrington, Oregon, Sr.; Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech, Jr.; Kurt Kittner, Illinois, Sr.; Zak Kustok, Northwestern, Sr.; Byron Leftwich, Marshall, Jr.; Jared Lorenzen, Kentucky, So.; David Neil, Nevada, Sr.; Carson Palmer, USC, Jr.; David Priestley, Pittsburgh, Sr.; Philip Rivers, North Carolina State, So.; Chris Simms, Texas, Jr.; Jonathan Smith, Oregon State, Sr.; and Jason Thomas, UNLV, Jr.
The Davey O?Brien Advisory Committee is comprised of nationally known sportswriters and commentators. They will select eight semifinalists the first week of November and vote again the week of Thanksgiving to select the winner and two runners-up.
The winner of the 2001 Davey O?Brien National Quarterback Award will be announced Dec. 6, 2001, during ESPN?s Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Orlando, Fla. All three quarterbacks will be honored at the 25th annual O?Brien Awards Dinner in February 2002, at The Fort Worth Club.
The O?Brien Award is named in honor of the late Davey O?Brien, the All-American and Heisman Trophy-winning TCU quarterback who led the Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship.
