The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Maxwell Football Club selects four Longhorns to watch lists
07.28.2004 | Football
The Maxwell Football Club has named two Longhorns to both its Maxwell Award watch list, honoring its college football player of the year, and its Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, honoring its college football defensive player of the year. Senior running back Cedric Benson and sophomore quarterback Vince Young were selected for the Maxwell Award, while senior linebacker Derrick Johnson and junior defensive tackle Rodrique Wright were chosen for the Bednarik Award.
Benson and Young will attempt to become the third winner of the Maxwell Award in UT history, joining Ricky Williams (1998) and Tommy Nobis (1965), while Johnson or Wright would be the first Longhorn to win the Bednarik Award.
Benson enters 2003 as the nation's top returning rusher with 3,706 career rushing yards (No. 3 on the UT all-time list) and 45 rushing TDs (No. 2 on the UT career list) in 37 games (31 starts). He was recently named to to the 2004 Preseason All-Big 12 Conference Team and is seeking to become just the fifth player in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards in four straight seasons. His 4,148 career all-purpose yards rank sixth on the UT all-time list. Twice tabbed the Horns Offensive Player of the Year, Benson rushed for 1,360 yards (No. 5 on UT's single-season list) and 21 TDs (No. 3 on UT's single-season list) en route to consensus first-team All-Big 12 honors as a junior.
Benson, who needs 738 yards to pass Earl Campbell into second place on the UT all-time rushing list, enters 2004 needing 1,294 yards to become just the 10th player in NCAA Div. I-A history to rush for 5,000 yards.
Young, a candidate for the Davey O'Brien Award (nation's best quarterback), became the first Longhorn player to throw for 1,000 yards (1,155 yards/No. 5 on the UT all-time freshman list) and rush for 900 (998/No. 2 on the UT all-time freshman chart) in the same season en route to Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors as a redshirt freshman last year. He came up just short of becoming the third freshman in NCAA history to pass and run for 1,000 yards in a season. Young completed 84-of-143 passes, tossed six TD passes (No. 5 on the UT freshman list) and ran for 11 TDs (No. 2 on the UT freshman chart) in 2003.
Johnson, who was recently named to the watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation's top defensive player) and the Rotary Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman), has been selected as the 2004 Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as voted on by members of the media, and was also named to the 2004 Preseason All-Big 12 Conference Team.
The only returnee from last year's Butkus Award (nation's top LB) finalists (3), Johnson became UT's first consensus All-American linebacker since Jeff Leiding in 1983. He has tallied 328 tackles (208 solo), 46 tackles for loss (T-No. 9 on the UT all-time list/second-best among LBs), 8.5 sacks, 29 QB pressures, 22 PBUs (a UT record for LBs) and eight interceptions (T-No. 1 on UT's interceptions by a LB list) in 38 career games (28 starts).
Wright, a candidate for the Outland Trophy (nation's top interior lineman) and a preseason first-team All-American (The Sporting News), has started the last 16 games and 22 in two seasons. He was named to to the 2004 Preseason All-Big 12 Conference Team and was a consensus second-team All-Big 12 pick as a sophomore after recording 80 tackles, a team-leading 7.5 sacks, 12 TFLs, a team-leading 30 pressures, three passes batted down and three forced fumbles. Listed as a preseason candidate for the Outland and Lombardi Trophies, Wright has played in 26 career games, compiling 145 tackles, 12 sacks, 25 TFLs, 45 pressures, three passes batted down and three forced fumbles.
