Texas Tech junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes II was named a semifinalist Thursday for the Davey O’Brien Award which is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate quarterback.
This is the third time in recent weeks where Mahomes has garnered semifinalist or finalist recognition for a national award as he is also a candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (top college quarterback) and the Maxwell Award (college football’s most outstanding player).
Mahomes, a native of Whitehouse, Texas, is one of 18 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award and one of three from the Big 12 Conference as he is joined by Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield.
Mahomes enters this weekend’s road contest at Oklahoma State as the nation’s passing leader as he has completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 3,886 yards and 31 touchdowns this season. He has also rushed for 260 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to averaging a FBS-leading 460.7 yards of total offense per game.
In addition, Mahomes is the national leader in passing yards per game (431.8) and also ranks second in completions per game (34.0) as well as points responsible for per game (27.3). His 31 passing touchdowns also rank third nationally.
Mahomes’ 10 rushing touchdowns are tied with Rodney Allison (1976) for the most among Red Raider quarterbacks in Tech single-season history. He is nearing the top 10 for single-season passing yards as he trails Seth Doege’s total from 2010 by just 118 yards entering this weekend.
Fans are encouraged to vote for Mahomes on www.VoteObrien.org beginning this afternoon and running until Nov. 22. The fan vote counts as five percent during each round of the voting process and is combined with the results from the foundation’s national selection committee which is comprised of journalists, broadcasters, commentators and former winners.
The Davey O’Brien Foundation will announce three finalists on Nov. 22 before eventually naming its winner on Dec. 8 during The Home Depot College Football Awards show that will air live on ESPN.
Mahomes and the Red Raiders return to the road Saturday afternoon as Texas Tech travels to No. 13 Oklahoma State for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff in Stillwater. The game will air live nationally on FOX Sports 1 and the Texas Tech Sports Network.
(COURTESY: Texas Tech Sports Information Department)