Associated Press
The college notebook …
NEW HAVEN, Conn. ó Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has won the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s player of the year award for the second consecutive season.
McCoy becomes the third player to win the award in back-to-back years, joining Ohio State star Archie Griffin (1974-75) and Southern California standout O.J. Simpson (1967-68). The honor is voted on by coaches and sports information directors.
McCoy led the Longhorns to a 13-0 record this season and a spot in the Jan. 7 BCS national championship game against Alabama. He threw for 3,512 yards and 27 touchdowns.
The other nominees were quarterbacks Tim Tebow of Florida and Case Keenum of Houston, running back Mark Ingram of Alabama and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska.
– McCoy has also won the Davey O’Brien Award honoring the nation’s best quarterback.
McCoy accepted the honor Thursday night at the annual college football awards show at Disney World.
McCoy also will be in New York on Saturday night hoping to win the Heisman Trophy.
LOU GROZA AWARD
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ó UCLA’s Kai Forbath has won the Lou Groza Award honoring the nation’s best kicker.
Forbath made 26 of 29 field goals this season, including 23 of 23 inside 40 yards. He also made at least three field goals in six games this year, and was 22-for-23 on extra points.
The junior kicker won the award over nominees Leigh Tiffin of Alabama and Blair Walsh of Georgia.
DOAK WALKER AWARD
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ó Stanford’s Toby Gerhart has won the Doak Walker Award honoring the nation’s best running back.
Gerhart had more yards rushing (1,736) and touchdowns (26) than any player in the country. He led No. 19 Stanford (8-4) to a second-place finish in the Pac-10 and its first bowl bid in eight years.
Gerhart scored touchdowns in all but one game, topped 100 yards 10 times and 200 yards three times, and averaged at least 4.4 yards per carry in every game this season.
The other nominees were Alabama’s Mark Ingram and Clemson’s C.J. Spiller.
JIM THORPE AWARD
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ó Tennessee star Eric Berry has won the Jim Thorpe Award honoring the nation’s best defensive back.
Berry had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries for the Volunteers this season. He also was second on the team with 83 tackles.
The hard-hitting safety topped fellow nominees Joe Haden of Florida and Earl Thomas of Texas. Berry, a junior from Fairburn, Ga., likely will be one of the top defensive players selected in the NFL draft if he skips his senior season.
BELITNIKOFF AWARD
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ó Notre Dame’s Golden Tate has won the Biletnikoff Award honoring the nation’s best receiver.
Tate had 93 catches for 1,496 yards with 15 receiving touchdowns, two rushing TDs and a punt return for a score. He finished third in the nation in receiving yards per game (124.67).
TED HENDRICKS AWARD
CHICAGO ó Jerry Hughes of unbeaten TCU won the Ted Hendricks defensive end of the year award.
Hughes anchors the nation’s top-rated defense, and had 54 tackles and 111/2 sacks in helping the Horned Frogs (12-0) win the Mountain West Conference and gain a berth in the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State.
TV RATINGS GROW
NEW YORK ó College football drew big television audiences this season.
The SEC, with Alabama’s and Florida’s undefeated runs to the conference title game, was especially popular. The SEC package on CBS averaged its highest rating since college football returned to the network in 1996. The 4.4 rating was up 29 percent from last year.
That beat the average rating on ABC for the first time since 1990.
SEC WAGER
MONTGOMERY, Ala. ó For Alabama’s anti-gambling governor, Florida oranges are hot potatoes.
Gov. Bob Riley made the usual friendly bet with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist on last weekend’s Southeastern Conference football championship game: a crate of Florida oranges versus ribs from Dreamland Barbecue in Tuscaloosa.
But with Alabama’s win comes criticism over Riley’s push to close down the state’s electronic bingo halls.
Riley’s office says he never intended to collect the winnings and he asked Florida not to send the oranges.
Florida officials say they had been planning to send the citrus along. When Florida beat Alabama last year, Riley ponied up the ribs.
CONGRESS CHIMES IN
WASHINGTON ó Dismissing complaints from some members that Congress had more pressing matters, a House subcommittee approved legislation aimed at forcing college football to switch to a playoff system to determine its national champion.
The legislation, which still faces steep odds, would ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision game as a national championship unless it results from a playoff. The measure passed by voice vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s commerce, trade and consumer protection subcommittee, with one audible “no,” from Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga.
MACK BROWN
AUSTIN, Texas ó Texas coach Mack Brown is a $5 million man, not just this season, but for the life of his contract.
With the Longhorns playing for their second BCS national championship in five years, school officials agreed to raise Brown’s annual salary from $3 million to at least $5 million.
Brown was scheduled to receive a one-time $2 million payment early next year. University system regents agreed to make that an annual payment for the rest of his contract, which runs through 2016.