LOS ANGELES - The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) announced its 2016 Outland Trophy Watch List on Friday and it included two Bruins – defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes and offensive tackle Conor McDermott. Vanderdoes also made the watch list of the 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy as announced Friday by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. He was joined on the Nagurski list by defensive back Fabian Moreau.
Vanderdoes returns to health after having his 2015 season cut short by injury. He has made 20 career starts for the Bruins along the defensive front. Vanderdoes had racked up eight tackles, two for loss, in last year's season-opening win over Virginia before he went down. In the 2014 season, he ranked eighth on the team with 50 tackles. His total of 11 tackles in a 2013 contest against Stanford was the most by a Bruin defensive lineman since 1992.
McDermott was a starter in 12 games last season at offensive tackle. He was named second-team all-conference by the league's coaches. The Bruin offensive line surrendered just 14 quarterback sacks in 2015, the second-lowest total in school history. The line also paved the way for Paul Perkins, the third-leading rusher in school annals, who posted a second-straight 1,000-yard rushing season.
Moreau, a team co-captain in 2015, started the first three games at cornerback last season before suffering an injury which sidelined him for the balance of the year. He recorded six tackles in the season-opening win over Virginia and added a pass breakup. Moreau was named a second-team all-conference selection in 2014 after he started all 13 games and ranked seventh on the team in tackles (53) and tied for the team lead in passes defended (8). He had been an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2013 after starting 12 games and being credited with 51 tackles.
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three finalists who are a part of the annual FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee selects a 26-man first team and eventually the three Outland finalists. Committee members then select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award; ends are not eligible.
The list will be trimmed to six or seven semifinalists on Thurs., Nov. 17. Five days later, three Outland Trophy finalists will be named by the FWAA. The winner of the 71st Outland Trophy – named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn at the turn of the 20th century – will be announced on live on ESPN on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thurs., Dec. 8. The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be held on Jan. 11, 2017, in Omaha, Neb.
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Thurs., Nov. 17. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from those five finalists who are part of the 2016 FWAA All-America Team. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner, the best defensive player in college football.
The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet, presented by ACN, will be held on Mon., Dec. 5 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte. The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football then became a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw "Bronko" Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
Vanderdoes returns to health after having his 2015 season cut short by injury. He has made 20 career starts for the Bruins along the defensive front. Vanderdoes had racked up eight tackles, two for loss, in last year's season-opening win over Virginia before he went down. In the 2014 season, he ranked eighth on the team with 50 tackles. His total of 11 tackles in a 2013 contest against Stanford was the most by a Bruin defensive lineman since 1992.
McDermott was a starter in 12 games last season at offensive tackle. He was named second-team all-conference by the league's coaches. The Bruin offensive line surrendered just 14 quarterback sacks in 2015, the second-lowest total in school history. The line also paved the way for Paul Perkins, the third-leading rusher in school annals, who posted a second-straight 1,000-yard rushing season.
Moreau, a team co-captain in 2015, started the first three games at cornerback last season before suffering an injury which sidelined him for the balance of the year. He recorded six tackles in the season-opening win over Virginia and added a pass breakup. Moreau was named a second-team all-conference selection in 2014 after he started all 13 games and ranked seventh on the team in tackles (53) and tied for the team lead in passes defended (8). He had been an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2013 after starting 12 games and being credited with 51 tackles.
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three finalists who are a part of the annual FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee selects a 26-man first team and eventually the three Outland finalists. Committee members then select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award; ends are not eligible.
The list will be trimmed to six or seven semifinalists on Thurs., Nov. 17. Five days later, three Outland Trophy finalists will be named by the FWAA. The winner of the 71st Outland Trophy – named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn at the turn of the 20th century – will be announced on live on ESPN on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thurs., Dec. 8. The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be held on Jan. 11, 2017, in Omaha, Neb.
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Thurs., Nov. 17. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from those five finalists who are part of the 2016 FWAA All-America Team. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner, the best defensive player in college football.
The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet, presented by ACN, will be held on Mon., Dec. 5 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte. The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football then became a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw "Bronko" Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.