NEW ORLEANS – Four of the Sun Belt’s best running backs have been named to the Preseason Doak Walker Award Watchlist as Appalachian State’s Marcus Cox, Arkansas State’s Michael Gordon, UL Lafayette’s Alonzo Harris and Texas State’s Robert Lowe were all tabbed as contenders for the award that is annually given to college football’s best running back.
Cox set Appalachian State freshman records with 1,250 rushing yards and 21 total touchdowns as a true freshman in 2013. He also tied the school’s freshman record with 15 rushing touchdowns and piled up 1,809 all-purpose yards en route to finishing second in voting for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the NCAA Division I FCS Freshman of the Year.
A 2013 Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference (SBC) selection, Gordon has also been named 2014 preseason All-SBC by USA Today Sports (first team), Athlon Sports (first team), Lindy’s (second team) and Phil Steele’s (third team). Additionally, he has been named Lindy’s “Toughest Player to Bring Down” in the Sun Belt and USA Today Sports’ offensive “Player to Watch” in the league.
Harris, from Gadsden, Ala., earned first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2013 after finishing third in the league and setting career-best with 942 yards and 14 touchdowns. He posted three consecutive 100-yard rushing games during the season, beginning with a season-high 115 yards and two touchdowns in a Sun Belt Conference victory at Western Kentucky.
Lowe was named Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference First Team by Phil Steele and a Second-Team choice by Lindy’s after earning All-Sun Belt Conference Second-Team honors by SBC coaches, College Sports Madness and Phil Steele a year ago. The top returning rusher in the Sun Belt after finishing second last season with 945 yards and nine touchdowns on 164 carries. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry while also catching 19 passes for 166 yards and one TD out of the backfield .
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name the semifinalists Nov. 18, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the finalists, who will be announced Nov. 24. The committee will cast a second vote beginning Dec. 1 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 2014 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 11, on ESPN. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held in Dallas, Texas, in February 2015.