t than in each of the past two seasons, when after Week 10 only

ATLANTA -- Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson won the Maxwell Award and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson won the Davey OBrien Award during the Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, creating some exciting buildup to the Heisman Trophy presentation Saturday in New York.The Maxwell Award is given to the college player of the year, while the Davey OBrien Award is awarded to the nations best quarterback. Jackson and Watson are among the five finalists for the Heisman, the sports most prestigious individual award, making a two-man race out of what was thought to be a near-certain win for Jackson.To win [the Maxwell] award means a lot. Being the first one to ever do it at the University of Louisville, Im in shock right now, Jackson said. I have butterflies. I aint never had them before, besides my first time playing football.Jackson beat out Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield?and Michigan do-everything linebacker Jabrill Peppers?-- both finalists for the Heisman -- for the Maxwell. Jackson, a sophomore, became the first Louisville player to win the Maxwell and was the second player in FBS history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,500 yards in the same season since Northern Illinois Jordan Lynch in 2012. Jackson also set the ACC single-season record with 51 touchdowns this season.I have to give all my credit to my mother, Jackson said onstage after accepting the award. Shes a great mother, a father figure, loved me, helped me out a lot. Im blessed.Jackson, who was named the 2016 ACC Player of the Year, also was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year after ranking second nationally in total offense (410.7 yards per game). He broke the conference record for rushing yards (1,538 yards) and rushing touchdowns (21) by a quarterback and has accounted for 73.4 percent of his teams total offense this season.Jackson has passed for 3,390 yards and 30 touchdowns this season.Watson joined BYUs Ty Detmer, Floridas Danny Wuerffel and Oklahomas Jason White as the only two-time winners of the OBrien Award. Each of the three also won the Heisman in one of those seasons. Watson also became the first quarterback in ACC history with 35-plus passing touchdowns in two different seasons. This season, he led the ACC with 3,914 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns.Asked about the Heisman possibly coming down to himself and Watson, Jackson said of Clemsons QB, Hes a tremendous player himself. Hes done lot of great things. If he does (win the Heisman), oh well. Best man.While Watson thought he should win the Heisman on Saturday, he wasnt ready to campaign for himself over Jackson.I really dont get too big into all that, he said. Whoever wins it really deserves it. At the end of the day, we both did some great things for our teams.Watson took his last final exam Wednesday in a political communication class.Next Thursday at this time, I will have a degree in hand and be a graduate, he said. It feels great.One person who would vote for Watson if given the chance is Alabama coach Nick Saban, who watched the quarterback account for 478 total yards of offense and four touchdowns in the Crimson Tides 45-40 win over Clemson in last seasons College Football Playoff National Championship Game.I dont have any input ... but after playing him last year, Im voting for him, but I dont have a vote, Saban said. I think hes a fantastic competitor and a great player and played a fantastic game against us.Oklahoma wide receiver Dede Westbrook, who is also a Heisman finalist, won the Biletnikoff Award as the nations best receiver. Westbrook was second in the Power 5 with 1,465 receiving yards off 74 catches. He also had 16 touchdowns, averaged 19.8 yards per catch, and 67.6 percent of his receptions went for first downs or touchdowns.Peppers lost out to Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen for the Chuck Bednarik Award for the defensive player of the year. Allen, the first Alabama player to win the award, already had won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, another award given to the nations top defensive player. Allen recorded 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, and he led all defensive linemen with two defensive touchdowns.Peppers played 15 positions in all three phases of the game for the Wolverines, recording three offensive touchdowns and a punt return for a touchdown. Defensively, he led the team with 16 tackles for loss and had four sacks, one interception and 72 tackles.While Allen wont be in New York for the Heisman presentation, hes rooting for Peppers to win the bronze trophy.Represent for the defense, Allen said. Thats what I told him. Im not bothered by [not being a Heisman finalist]. Its fine because I won the Nagurski Trophy. Im perfectly fine with that. I wont lose any sleep over that.USC cornerback Adoree Jackson became the third straight junior to win the Jim Thorpe Award for the nations best defensive back, while Texass DOnta Foreman became the third different winner from Texas (1997 and 1998 Ricky Williams, 2004 Cedric Benson) to win the Doak Walker Award for the nations best running back. Foreman rushed for a nation-leading 2,028 yards this season.Zane Gonzalez of Arizona State received the Lou Groza trophy as the top kicker, while the Ray Guy Award for best punter went to Utahs Mitch Wishnowsky, the latest in a wave of Australians who have revolutionized the position.Pittsburgh running back James Conner earned with the Disney Spirit Award as most inspirational player for overcoming cancer.In addition, Colorados Mike MacIntyre was recognized as the previously announced winner of The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, and retired coach Steve Spurrier received the Contributions to College Football Award.Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.Blue Jays Jerseys 2020 . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Toronto Blue Jays Pro Shop . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. Toronto Blue Jays Store . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Toronto Blue Jays Gear . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No.Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney loves to talk, and whats good about that for the college football public is -- everything. Hes not afraid to say what he thinks, and hes not always politic. As a result, all of us have a much better idea of what college football is really like.Take Swinneys discussion this week of his players who are going to leave early for the NFL. Its obvious and easily understood why quarterback Deshaun Watson, wide receivers?Mike Williams and Artavis Scott, and running back Wayne Gallman are leaving. But most coaches would consider such midseason talk a distraction, or perhaps harbor hope of convincing their stars to stick around. Swinney sees whats best for the player, makes the decision and keeps moving. Its refreshing. And rare.1. I looked at the final College Football Playoff ranking in 2014, and I was amazed by what I saw: a lot of unfamiliar names. Only three teams from the top 16 two years ago are in this weeks CFP rankings: No. 1 Alabama, No. 5 Ohio State and No. 18 Florida State. Seven of those 16 teams currently have losing records, and another five are 5-4. Maybe there has been another two-year span with such rapid turnover at the top. Nothing comes to mind. College football has earned the reputation of being an oligarchy, with a few teams taking turns at the top. Ask Oregon, Arizona, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, UCLA and Missouri how easy it is to keep winning.2. Illinois is taking its Northwestern home games from Chicagos Soldier Field back to Champaign, Syracuse has no more games scheduled at MetLife Stadium, and it says here those are good things. Rutgers tried playing in the Meadowlands for years and decided it would be better to expand its own stadium. NFL cities, with rare exceptions (Washington in Seattle; USC and UCLA in Los Angeles), are only somewhat interested in college football. To move a game three or four hours away and pretend its still a home game is self-delusional, especially the part about building a fan base. It might be different if you win a lot. But if you win a lot, you dont move your home games three or four hours away.3. Mississippi State had lost four games by seven points or fewer, one loss more painful than the next, before the upset of then-No. 4 Texas A&M, 35-28, last Saturday. Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen, on the Championship Drive podcast (recorded Wednesday and available Thursday), said he appreciated the determination he saw in his young team. A lot of teams [in the Bulldogs position] would sit and wait for something bad to happen, Mullen said. It will certainly give them some confidence in close games that we can make the play to win the game.4. Pittsburgh hired Pat Narduzzzi two years ago because of his chops as a defensive coordinator at Michigan State under Mark Dantonio.dddddddddddd But the last thing the Panthers are doing this season is playing defense. Pitt has allowed at least 30 points to seven opponents, one fewer than Narduzzis past four Spartan teams combined. Pitt began this season with eight returning starters on defense, but injuries have taken a toll. Offenses are able to focus on playmaking senior end Ejuan Price, he of the short pants. Its amazing that the Panthers (5-4) have won three of those seven 30-plus games. No. 2 Clemson, with quarterback Deshaun Watson, is poised to make it eight on Saturday (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET).5. Speaking of defensive coordinators turned head coaches, Kirby Smart can undo a seasons worth of disappointments if Georgia figures out a way to upset No. 9 Auburn between the hedges Saturday. The Bulldogs, like the Panthers, are 5-4. But they have faltered as much because of an ineffective offense that includes freshman starter Jacob Eason. In fact, Smarts defense has allowed 30 points only twice, once because of that Hail Mary by Tennessee. Georgia has intercepted 10 passes thrown at least 15 yards downfield, which ESPN Stats & Info tells us, is tied for the most in the FBS.6. Mitch Trubisky, the Ohio product who got away from Urban Meyer and Ohio State, the quarterback whom Larry Fedora has groomed at North Carolina, is getting a long look from NFL scouts. Blue Devils head coach David Cutcliffe, a quarterback guru from way back, explained on the ACC weekly teleconference why Trubisky is a hot commodity. His accuracy is incredible, Cutcliffe said. All quarterbacking starts before the ball is ever snapped. Command of their offense, the tempo they can play at, his readiness, his consistency. Hes very strong. He can make every throw. He gets really good pre-snap reads. He gets the ball out quickly.7. Nine of the top 15 teams in the College Football Playoff rankings have two losses. Thats much different than in each of the past two seasons, when after Week 10 only one team in the top 15 had two losses. In both seasons, Week 11 proved to be a line of demarcation. Two years ago, six teams suffered their second loss in Week 11; last season, four teams did. What to make of all this? A) Conference schedules in November are designed to find champions. B) Weve been lucky this season that the best have played the best. Seven of the nine two-loss teams this season have a loss against one current top-five team (No. 7 Wisconsin has two). Strength of schedule is being rewarded. ' ' '