Tajh Boyd One of Eight Quarterbacks Named Manning Award Star of the Week

Sept. 18, 2011

The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, has named eight quarterbacks as its “Stars of the Week.” College football fans can now go to the Allstate Sugar Bowl Facebook page to vote for what they think was the best performance from this past weekend. When voting closes on Thursday at 9 a.m. (Central), the top vote-getter will be announced as the Manning Award Player of the Week.

VOTE HERE!

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2004 to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates’ bowl performances in its balloting.

This week’s eight Manning Award Stars of the Week are:

Tajh Boyd, Clemson(30-of-42, 386 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT) Trailing 14-0 early, Boyd leads Clemson to the comeback victory to snap No. 21 Auburn’s 17-game winning streak.

Seth Doege, Texas Tech(40-of-44, 401 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT) Doege completes his first 15 passes and sets an FBS record for completion percentage as he leads the Red Raiders to a 59-13 blowout of New Mexico.

Ryan Griffin, Tulane(22-of-26, 281 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT) The Green Wave picks up its second victory of the season as Griffin completes his first 11 passes to direct an offense that holds the ball for almost 42 minutes in a 49-10 win over UAB, lifting Tulane to a 2-1 start for the first time since 2005.

Case Keenum, Houston(25-of-40, 351 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INT) Keenum leads Houston to 28 unanswered points in a furious second-half rally to keep the Cougars undefeated with a 35-34 win over Louisiana Tech.

Kellen Moore, Boise State(32-of-42, 455 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT) The Broncos’ run-game struggles early, but Moore is outstanding once again, leading Boise State to a 40-15 blowout victory over Toledo.

Sean Renfree, Duke(40-of-52, 359 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) Renfree ties a school record with 40 completions as he rallies the Blue Devils from a 12-point deficit in their ACC opener against Boston College.

James Vandenberg, Iowa(31-of-48, 399 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) Down 24-3 late in the third quarter, Vandenberg runs for a touchdown then throws for three fourth-quarter throws as the Hawkeyes stun Pitt, 31-27, with the biggest comeback in school history.

Russell Wilson, Wisconsin(23-of-32, 347 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) Wilson leads the potent Wisconsin offense to 621 yards of total offense, including scores on six of its first seven possessions, in a 49-7 win over Northern Illinois.

Steele Jantz, a junior quarterback from Iowa State University, was last week’s Manning Award Player of the Week. The product of Agoura Hills, Calif., who was also the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, led the Cyclones to an overtime upset of cross-state rival Iowa, 44-41. The junior directed four consecutive touchdown drives, including three in overtime to clinch the dramatic victory over the Hawkeyes. Included in those drives were four critical third-down conversions, including a third-and-15 and a third-and-20, as well as a fourth-and-one conversion which led to the game-tying TD pass to Darius Darks with 1:17 to go in regulation. He finished the game completing 25-of-37 passes for 279 and four touchdowns with no interceptions. The 6-3, 224-pounder also rushed for 42 yards as the Cyclones scored their most points against Iowa since the teams met for the first time in 1894.

The Manning Award will be recognizing its eighth winner this year. USC’s Matt Leinart was the inaugural winner of the award in 2005, followed by Texas’ Vince Young in 2006. Both went on to be top 10 NFL draft picks. In 2007, LSU’s JaMarcus Russell earned the award and was the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick. Boston College’s Matt Ryan claimed the award in 2008 and was drafted No. 3, quickly becoming the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. In 2009, Florida star Tim Tebow earned the honor – he also went on to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The 2010 winner was Texas signal-caller Colt McCoy, the winningest quarterback in college football history, who was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the draft. Last year saw Auburn’s Cameron Newton earn the award, prior to being selected No. 1 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.