With Josey Gone, a Look at Remaining Doak Walker Candidates
MU running back Henry Josey’s season-ending injury could take him out of the running for the prestigious Doak Walker award, college football’s highest honor for its best running back.
Josey was nominated last week, and had a legitimate case for winning the award. He was fifth in the nation in yards per game, and even more impressively had a higher yards-per-carry average than any of the nine other running backs named as finalists, including Oregon standout LaMichael James. Additionally, Josey had more runs of 10 or more yards than any other running back in the nation. Soft opponents aren’t to blame for Josey’s statistical success this year – the Tigers’ schedule was ranked fourth nationally in difficulty by the NCAA.
With Josey’s season over, here are the remaining Doak Walker semifinalists:
Montee Ball, Wisconsin (Jr.): Averaging 6.7 yards per carry and has 23 touchdowns on the season. Set the Big Ten single-season touchdown record on Saturday. Graduated from Timberland High School in Wentzville, Mo.
Rex Burkhead, Nebraska (Jr.): Averaging 5.1 yards per carry and has 14 touchdowns on the season. Took a couple snaps under center as a quarterback running the option against Penn State. Graduated from Plano High School in Plano, Texas.
Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State (So.): Averaging 5.7 yards per carry and has 13 touchdowns on the season. Scored a 99-yard touchdown against Wyoming in October. Graduated from La Habra High School in La Habra, Cal.
LaMichael James, Oregon (Jr.): Averaging 7.9 yards per carry and has 12 touchdowns on the season. Was Oregon’s first unanimous All-American and finished third in Heisman voting in 2010. Graduated from Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Tex.
Zach Line, Southern Methodist (Jr.): Averaging 5.9 yards per carry and has 17 touchdowns on the season. Was originally recruited to SMU as a linebacker. Graduated from Oxford Area Senior High School in Oxford, Mich.
Chris Polk, Washington (Sr.): Averaging 5.2 yards per carry and has 10 touchdowns on the season. Has rushed for over 1,000 yards three seasons in a row. Graduated from East Valley High School in Redlands, Calif.
Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State (So.): Averaging 5.9 yards per carry and has 21 touchdowns on the season. Received offers from nine schools other than Oklahoma State, including Missouri. Graduated from Southeast High School in Wichita, Kan.
Trent Richardson, Alabama (Jr.): Averaging 5.9 yards per carry and has 18 touchdowns on the season. Was named ESPN RISE magazine’s first-ever National Football Player of the Week in high school. Graduated from Escambia High School in Pensacola, Fla.
David Wilson, Virginia Tech (Jr.): Averaging 6.5 yards per carry and has seven touchdowns on the season. Placed first in the triple jump at the Nike Indoor Nationals in 2009. Graduated from George Washington High School in Danville, Va.