BYU lineman named to Rimington Trophy Watch List

BYU’s Terence Brown, a senior offensive lineman, was named to the Rimington Trophy 2011 Fall Watch List on Monday.

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The 12-year-old Rimington Trophy is an annual award given to the Most Outstanding Center in the NCAA for Division I college football. This year’s list includes 43 of the nation’s top-ranked offensive linemen, with 13 players returning from last year’s list. Brown, at 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds, is one of the stronger candidates on this year’s list.

 

 

 

Offensive line coach Mark Weber said Brown was an excellent candidate for the prestigious award. Weber believes the odds are in Brown’s favor, partly due to the center’s solid work ethic.

“He has a great chance to win it,” Weber said. “I think it’s great [that he is on the watch list]. Terence has worked extremely hard. He’s a very good football player and deserves to be named on the list.”

While BYU has had several players named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List in previous years, the Cougars have not yet had a trophy recipient. Having his coach’s confidence and his team’s support, Brown said he is hoping to be the first Cougar to receive this award.

“He’s worked hard this summer … and has had an outstanding spring,” Weber said.

Since Brown’s sophomore season, he has started in 26 straight games. Last season he helped the BYU offense rank No. 42 nationally in rushing yards per game, with an average of 168.1 yards. He also helped the offense allow only two sacks or less in 11 games and rank No. 34 in the nation with 283 first downs in the season.

“It’s nice to get a little bit of recognition,” Brown said. “I know there were several other people out there that were nominated for [the Rimington Trophy 2011 Fall Watch List], but it’s good to know my name is out there at least a little bit.”

While Brown expressed his gratitude in being nominated, his sophomore season statistics gave further explanation as to why he was named to this year’s list, out of more than 240 centers in the country. In 2009, Brown’s offensive unit was ranked No. 17 in the nation in passing yards per game and No. 24 nationally in total yards.

The Rimington Trophy was named after first-team All-American center Dave Rimington, as a tribute to his 1981 and 1982 seasons at the University of Nebraska. The award has raised more than $2 million for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Brown said he was honored to be on the list and knew it would give him motivation to work even harder both on and off the field this upcoming season.

“What really matters is how this fall goes,” Brown said. “The competition [this season] will be a little better, we hope, and that will just push us forward as a team. … But it’s just great to be on the list.”