New Haven, Conn. – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of fifty “players to watch” for its 2012 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade. Representing the MAC are Western Michigan QB Alex Carder and Buffalo RB Branden Oliver.
Carder completed 299 of 445 passes last season for 3,434 yards and 28 touchdowns as he led the Broncos to a 7-6 overall record and an invite to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl against Purdue. Carder also led the MAC with an average of 335.2 yards of total offense per game.
Oliver rushed for 1,395 yards and 13 touchdowns on 306 carries last season for Buffalo. Oliver led the MAC in rushing attempts (306), ranked second in the conference in yards rushing (1,395) and rushing touchdowns (13). Oliver averaged 116.2 yards per game as a sophomore for the Bulls.
Eleven players on the 2012 watch list have previously earned Walter Camp All-America honors. In all, 37 schools are represented on the list with Kansas State, Oklahoma and USC each having three players.
The 2011 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient was former Stanford and current Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.
“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president John Marks said. “This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.”
The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in mid-November. The 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 124 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 6. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on January 12, 2013 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.