Mayfield is Maxwell/O'Brien Awards Semifinalist

NORMAN — Oklahoma junior quarterback Baker Mayfield is one of 20 semifinalists for the 2015 Maxwell Award, which is presented annually to the country's college football player of the year, and one of 17 semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. The lists of semifinalists for the awards were announced Monday.

In his first year of competition with the Sooners, Mayfield ranks second among FBS players in pass efficiency rating (185.2) and passing yards per attempt (10.12), sixth in points responsible for per game (21.8) and passing touchdowns per game (3.13), 10th in total offense per game (333.5) and passing yards per completion (14.53) and 13th in passing yards per game (308.8). He has 25 touchdown passes and just four interceptions.

Mayfield ranks second behind Josh Heupel for most total touchdowns (29) and passing yards (2,470) in the first eight games of an OU career. The transfer from Texas Tech has thrown for at least one touchdown in all eight games and has passed for at least three scores in six contests.

Mayfield set the OU record for passing yards in a season opener with 388 (in only three quarters of play) in a 41-3 win over Akron. At No. 23 Tennessee the next game he rallied the Sooners from a 17-0 deficit with touchdowns on their last four possessions in a 31-24 double-overtime win. Against Tulsa the following week, Mayfield set the OU single-game record for total offense (572 yards; the most by an FBS player this year) and tied the school record by accounting for six touchdowns (four passing). His 487 passing yards in the game stand as the fourth most in OU history, and his 226.6 pass efficiency rating was the highest by a Sooner with more than 30 attempts in a game.

Three games ago at Kansas State, Mayfield tied the school record for TD passes in a half with five in the first 30 minutes as OU took a 35-0 lead to the locker room. And this past Saturday at Kansas, he threw for 332 yards in the first half, the second most in a half in school history.

Maxwell Award

Mayfield is one of four semifinalists from the Big 12 Conference, joining Baylor receiver Corey Coleman, TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin and TCU receiver Josh Doctson. He is also one of 10 semifinalists who are quarterbacks.

This year's winner of the 79th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the "Home Depot College Football Awards Show," which will be broadcast on ESPN on Dec. 10 from the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Three finalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 24, and a second round of voting will take place at that time.

The formal presentation of the award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club's 79th Awards Gala on Friday, March 11, at the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. Semifinalist voting will begin on Thursday, Nov. 5 and close on Sunday, Nov. 22. Eligible voters include Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA head football coaches, sports information directors and selected national media.

Last season, the Maxwell Award went to Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Past OU recipients are Tommy McDonald in 1956 and Jason White in 2004.

2015 Maxwell Award Semifinalists

Devontae Booker, RB, Utah
Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU
Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor
Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon
Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama
Cody Kessler, QB, USC
Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame
Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy
Greg Ward Jr., QB, Houston
Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award

After tabulating the results of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee's ballots, as well as more than 2.5 million fan votes, Mayfield was one of four Big 12 quarterbacks listed as a Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist. Joining him were TCU's Boykin, Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes and Baylor's Seth Russell. (Russell will not be eligible for the award. He was voted into the semifinalist group, but will miss the remainder of the season because of injury. Foundation guidelines allow for an injured player to be honored as a semifinalist and the quarterback with the next highest vote total also included.)

After clearing the first round totals, the fan vote at VoteOBrien.org will reopen Tuesday, Nov. 3 and remain open until noon CT on Sunday, Nov. 22, for the second round of balloting. Fans are invited to cast their vote for the nation's best college quarterback as often as they wish.

The Fan Vote counts as five percent during each round of the voting process, and is combined with the results from the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee, which is comprised of journalists, broadcasters, commentators and former winners.

In conjunction with ESPN, the Davey O'Brien Foundation and the Selection Committee will release the names of the three finalists on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The 2015 Davey O'Brien winner will be announced live on "The Home Depot College Football Awards Show" on Thursday, Dec. 10.

The 39th Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner will be held Monday, Feb. 15, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Past OU winners of the Davey O'Brien Award are Jason White (2003 and 2004) and Sam Bradford (2008).

2015 Davey O'Brien Award Semifinalists

Trevone Boykin, TCU
Connor Cook, Michigan State
Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky
Luke Falk, Washington State
Jared Goff, California
Kevin Hogan, Stanford
Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
Cody Kessler, USC
Paxton Lynch, Memphis
Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
Keenan Reynolds, Navy
Josh Rosen, UCLA
Seth Russell, Baylor
Greg Ward Jr., Houston
Deshaun Watson, Clemson