Mariota Named a Finalist For the Heisman Trophy
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Oregon junior quarterback Marcus Mariota was named a finalist on Monday for the Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in college football.
Mariota's fellow finalists are Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper and Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon. The winner will be announced Saturday during a ceremony in New York City.
Mariota joins quarterback Joey Harrington (fourth, 2001) and running back LaMichael James (third, 2010) as finalists from Oregon. The Ducks have now had nine players all-time finish in the top 10 of the Heisman voting, four in the last five years.
Many projections consider Mariota the favorite to win the award. He was considered by some to be the front-runner in 2013 before a knee injury saw him drop out of the running; Mariota didn't even finish in the top 10 as a sophomore.
This season, the junior from Hawaii is completing 68.3 percent of his passes (254-of-372) for 3,783 yards and 38 touchdowns, with two interceptions. He has also run for 669 yards and 14 touchdowns, helping the Ducks earn a College Football Playoff berth against Florida State in a semifinal hosted by the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
Earlier Monday, Mariota was named winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was also named Pac-12 Conference offensive player of the year, and was first-team all-conference for the third year in a row.
