FWAA News from Steve Richardson News

The Football Writers Association of America, in conjunction with the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced 12 finalists for the 2023 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award on Tuesday. The award winner this season will be chosen from among a list that includes one repeat finalist and two other finalists from previous seasons, including one who is now a nine-time finalist. Eight of the finalists won conference championships this year, including three who will compete in the upcoming College Football Playoff; seven of the honorees are first-time finalists.

Sparked by a tremendous set of midseason games that has paced his team into the postseason, Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts has earned  the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player as selected by the Football Writers Association of America and presented by the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The nation’s interceptions leader was honored Monday night with the award at a gala event here..

Arizona is the winner of the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Play of the Week for Week 13. The winning play is the Crimson Tide's game-winning touchdown pass on 4th-and-31.

Three finalists for the 2023 Outland Trophy – offensive tackle Joe Alt of Notre Dame, Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe and Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat – were announced Tuesday by the Football Writers Association of America.

The Kentucky Wildcats upset No. 9 Louisville, 38-31, as running back Ray Davis set school records for touchdowns and points scored and quarterback Devin Leary added three touchdown passes. For topping their in-state rivals for a fifth consecutive season and keeping the Governor’s Cup, Kentucky earned the Cheez-It National Team of the Week for games the weekend of Nov. 25, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.

Arizona is the winner of the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Play of the Week for Week 12. The winning play is the Wildcats' double-pass touchdown that opened the scoring as Arizona jumped out to a 28-0 lead on its way to a 42-18 thumping of Arizona.

The New Mexico State Aggies outgained Auburn by a near two-to-one margin while rushing for 213 yards in a 31-10 upset at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Aggies’ first win over a Southeastern Conference opponent in program history. The Aggies scored on all four trips to the red zone while preventing the Tigers from getting inside their own red zone. The win earned the Cheez-It National Team of the Week for games the weekend of Nov. 18, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.

Seven semifinalists for the 2023 Outland Trophy – five offensive linemen and two defensive tackles – were announced Wednesday by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee. The semifinalists are each from different schools within three conferences and Notre Dame and represent all four positions eligible for the award.

Five finalists for the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy representing three different conferences plus Notre Dame, one of them from the top team in the current College Football Playoff rankings and one who has the sixth-most tackles in the FBS, were named Wednesday by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club as candidates for the award honoring the nation’s top defensive player.

Harvard is the winner of the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Play of the Week for Week 11. The winning play the Crimson's "Cambridge Special" in the third overtime on a two-point play that earned Harvard the Ivy League title after the 25-23 win.

The UCF Knights held the nation’s rushing leader to just 25 yards and deployed its own running back for a 206-yard day in a 45-3 home win over No. 15 Oklahoma State. For taking their first win over a top-15 team since 2017 the Knights (5-5) earned the Cheez-It National Team of the Week for games the weekend of Nov. 11, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.

Boston College is the winner of the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Play of the Week for Week 10. The winning play was an 22-yard touchdown pass from Michael Penix Jr. to Devin Clup in the second quarter of Washington's 52-42 win over USC.

Will Putnam helped Clemson more than double the scoring output Notre Dame had yielded this season keyed by its power run game. For achieving the highest grade on the Tigers’ offensive line in Clemson’s 31-23 upset of No. 12 Notre Dame, the Clemson center earned the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Nov. 4, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was all over the field making tackles, but was noticeably present in the Notre Dame backfield as he keyed the Tigers’ 31-23 upset over No. 12 Notre Dame. For his game-high 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a pick-six, Trotter earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Nov. 4, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

Even better than simply making a statement Saturday, the Oklahoma State Cowboys got the last word in taking the final scheduled Bedlam game, 27-24, over No. 10 Oklahoma before a ravenous sellout crowd at Boone Pickens Stadium. For its satisfying win over its longtime and departing conference rival and staying tied atop the Big 12 standings, the Cowboys (7-2) earned the Cheez-It National Team of the Week for games the weekend of Nov. 4, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.

Boston College is the winner of the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Play of the Week for Week 9. The winning play was an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown by Chris Tyree that set the tone in a 58-7 win over Pitt.

DALLAS (FWAA) – Center Leif Fautanu and the Arizona State Sun Devils reached notable offensive numbers in their 38-27 home win over Washington State, topping 250 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in the same game for the first time in five seasons. Fautanu’s guidance on the offensive line helped create five touchdowns from the ground game and earned him the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 28, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

DALLAS (FWAA) – Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts ascended to the top spot among FBS interceptions leaders with two picks during last week’s 58-7 win over Pitt. Now with six interceptions on the season and for maintaining a high standard in the Irish defensive backfield, Watts has earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 28, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

DALLAS (FWAA) – The Kansas Jayhawks ran for 225 yards that included Devin Neal’s nine-yard scoring dash with 55 seconds left to give the Jayhawks a 38-33 home win over Oklahoma in front of a sellout Homecoming crowd. For ending their 18-game losing streak to the Sooners, Kansas (6-2) earned the Cheez-It National Team of the Week honor for games the weekend of Oct. 28, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.

FWAA Annually Awards Beat Writer of the Year