SMU's Zack Line nominated for Doak Walker Award

DALLAS (SMU) - SMU junior Zach Line has been named a preseason candidate for the 2011 Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced today.

The award is presented annually to the nation's top college running back. The award, in its 22nd year, is named for SMU's Heisman Trophy-winning, three-time All-America running back Doak Walker.

Line, an Oxford, Mich., native was named first-team All-Conference USA in 2010 after rushing for 1,494 yards, the second-largest single-season total in school history, trailing only Eric Dickerson's 1,617 yards in 1982. The tally was 11th in the country, and Line averaged 6.1 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns on the year.

This continues a string of Mustangs on pre-season award Watch Lists, with Line also named to the Watch List for the Maxwell Award. Additionally:

• SMU junior Kyle Padron has been named to the Watch List for the 2011 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. He started all 14 games last season and was named All-Conference USA honorable mention. He notched SMU records in passing yards (3,828), total yards (4,072), touchdowns (31), completions (302) and attempts (508) and passed for over 300 yards on six occasions.

• Kelvin Beachum, Ja'Gared Davis, Taylor Reed and Taylor Thompson have been named to the Official Watch List for the 2011 Rotary Lombardi Award.
    
• Kelvin Beachum has been named to the Outland List.
    
• Taylor Thompson has made the Nagurski Award List.
    
• Cole Beasley and Darius Johnson were named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.
    
• Taylor Thompson And Margus Hunt were selected to the Pony Express Award Watch List.
    
• Blake McJunkin was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List.

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The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name the semifinalists on November 11, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the finalists, who will be announced on November 21. The committee will cast a second vote beginning on November 28 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 2011 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 8 on ESPN. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, in February 2012.

The complete list of the 2011 Doak Walker Award candidates, who were nominated by their universities, follows:

• Alvester Alexander (Jr.), Wyoming
• Victor Anderson (Sr.), Louisville
• Keola Antolin (Sr.), Arizona
• Edwin Baker (Jr.), Michigan State
• Montee Ball (Jr.), Wisconsin
• Vick Ballard (Sr.), Mississippi State
• Bryce Beall (Sr.), Houston
• Duane Bennett (Sr.), Minnesota
• Brandon Bolden (Sr.), Ole Miss
• Rex Burkhead (Jr.), Nebraska
• Asher Clark (Sr.), Air Force
• Marcus Coker (So.), Iowa
• Lennon Creer (Sr.), Louisiana Tech
• Orleans Darkwa (So.), Tulane
• Knile Davis (Jr.), Arkansas
• Jeff Demps (Sr.), Florida
• JJ Di Luigi (Sr.), BYU
• Lance Dunbar (Sr.), North Texas
• Michael Dyer (So.), Auburn
• Andre Ellington (Jr.), Clemson
• Jason Ford (Sr.), Illinois
• Johnathan Franklin (Jr.), UCLA
• Ray Graham (Jr.), Pittsburgh
• Cyrus Gray (Sr.), Texas A&M
• Montel           Harris (Sr.), Boston College
• Ronnie Hillman (So.), San Diego State
• LaMichael James (Jr.), Oregon
• Marcus Lattimore (So.), South Carolina
• Zach Line (Jr.), SMU
• Doug Martin (Sr.), Boise State
• Sam McGuffie (Jr.), Rice
• Davin Meggett (Sr.), Maryland
• Christine Michael (Jr.), Texas A&M
• Lamar Miller (So.), Miami
• Alfred Morris (Sr.), Florida Atlantic
• Isaiah Pead (Sr.), Cincinnati
• Chris Polk (Jr.), Washington
• Tauren Poole (Sr.), Tennessee
• Bobby Rainey (Sr.), Western Kentucky
• Trent Richardson (Jr.), Alabama
• Pat Shed (Sr.), UAB
• Rodney Stewart (Sr.), Colorado
• Stepfan Taylor (Jr.), Stanford
• Alexander Teich (Sr.), Navy
• Adonis Thomas (Sr.), Toledo
• Matthew Tucker (Jr.), TCU
• Robert Turbin (Jr.), Utah State
• Ed Wesley (Jr.), TCU
• James White (So.), Wisconsin
• David Wilson (Jr.), Virginia Tech
• Cierre Wood (Jr.), Notre Dame

SMU, the only Division I athletic program in Dallas, Texas, sponsors 17 sports and has been ranked as the top school in its conference for 11 of the last 13 years in the Director's Cup overall athletic rankings. More information about SMU and its coaches, student-athletes and teams is available at www.SMUMustangs.com.