Red Zone awards for nation’s top players

Every year there are awards given out for various college standouts. In this era of overkill, there are five major awards for the top offensive player, but too many of the special events fall through the cracks and that is where the Red Zone awards come in.

We are here to honor those players and plays that are deserving of recognition for greatness and ineptitude. Yes, we don’t hand out a plaque or trophy, but it’s the honor that means so much more.

Ben Roethlisberger Award: DeAngelo Williams

The award given to the best player most Americans have never seen play, goes to Memphis’ dynamic running back. The senior from Wynne, Ark. ran for 1,828 yards on the season, a Conference USA record, but its how he does it that is more amazing.

On Saturday against South Florida, the Bulls put eight and sometimes nine guys in the box and Williams still ran for 263 yards. His surprising burst of speed made safeties look stupid as they continued to take bad pursuit angles to the football. Williams will definitely follow the trophy’s namesake into the NFL next season.

The Rocket Ismail Memorial Trophy: Ashlan Davis and Devin Hester

Our first tie of the year is the award given to the guy coaches should never, under any circumstances, kick it to and it’s a split between two big time players.

Tulsa’s Davis is a junior from Mesquite Poteet High (he would have looked good in a Mustang uniform), who owns the single season NCAA record with five kick returns for touchdowns this season, which leaves him only one away from the career kick return record.

He also returned kicks in three consecutive games, which is also an NCAA record, and we have never seen coaches try so many different ways to keep the ball out of his hands.

Against Rice and UTEP, he took balls on a dead sprint near the 20 off pop-up kicks designed for up-men to catch, and he still reversed fields and took it to the house.

Miami’s Hester has three punt and kick returns combined this year, but it was when these happened that made them all the more spectacular.

In the ‘Canes 17 point comeback against Louisville (a loss that is keeping the Cardinals out of the BCS) Hester had a kick return for a touchdown called back, a punt return for a touchdown and a 37-yard punt return, in which he broke eight tackles to set up the winning score.

He doesn’t have the quantity on Davis, but gets half of the trophy on the quality of returns.

Best Performance by a Male Stripper: Diamond Ferri

Seriously, did his parents want to make his life miserable on purpose? Did they sit around and go, well he’ll get made fun of because of his last name so maybe we can overshadow it with the first?

Whatever the case, Ferri was a two-way superstar on Saturday against Boston College as he conjured memories of yester-year.

The starting safety for Syracuse was pressed into tailback duties as the first and second stringers were out with injuries. All Ferri did was run the ball for 141 yards and two touchdowns on offense.

He also continued playing on defense. He had six tackles and ran an interception back 41 yards for his third touchdown on the day keeping the Orange in the hunt for a BCS birth despite their 6-5 record.

Steve Spurrier Award: Urban Meyer

The award for offensive wizardry goes to the coach whose diverse sets convert skeptics to the Utes cause every week.

I have a friend who, at the beginning of the season ripped the Mid-Majors worse then Trev Alberts, (who by the way sounds dumber every week when he says two loss BCS schools should be ranked ahead of undefeated teams like Boise State and Utah).

It took my friend one hour of watching the “Urban Legends” score every time they touched the ball for him to say, “I have never seen anything like this.”

Seriously, people who continue to rip the Utes haven’t watched them play, and most of their success can be pointed to Meyer’s attacks that blend option, spread and west coast offenses.

The 2003 Auburn Tigers Award: Kansas State Wildcats

The award given to the team that received tons of preseason hype and then falls flat (named after last years Tigers that were preseason No. 1 by some publications before finishing 8-4) goes to the Wildcats.

Kansas St. had a 4-7 record and went 2-6 in the worst division in the history of college football, the Big 12 North. The quarterback play was horrendous, the defense couldn’t stop Southlake Carroll and someone should have filed a missing persons report for preseason Heisman favorite Darren Sproles.

This is all from a team that was a preseason Top 10 pick that was supposed to run away from a weak North field and challenge the Sooners in the Big12 championship game.

The Coach Fran Award: Dennis Franchione

The award that goes to the coach that pulls out all stops to give his less talented team a chance to pull a huge upset over a highly ranked opponent, goes to its namesake for his play calling in his Aggies near victory over the Oklahoma Sooners.

A&M scored touchdowns on a fake punt and a fake field goal. They also ran three double reverses, a halfback pass and a double reverse, lateral back to quarterback Reggie McNeal, who threw deep for the most creative incompletion in history. Did the Aggies win, no, but Coach Fran gave his players every opportunity to do so in his risk-taking against the Sooners.

The Play of the Year, Presented by Peter Warwick: Reggie Bush vs. Oregon St.

The funny thing is that Bush has plays that have been seen by more people, but it was this punt return in a heavy fog that gives him the award named after the most elusive college football player ever.

Warwick would have been proud as Bush picked up the bouncing punt near USC’s own sideline at a complete stop.

Without any momentum “The President” dodged two Beaver tacklers like Kerry and W sidestepped hard-hitting questions.

Bush accelerated along the sideline before making two other guys miss as he turned it inside. A quick move on the punter, another broken tackle and a speed burst Justin Gatlin would be proud of, allowed Bush to reach the promised land. A play words can’t do justice to, and the best individual effort of the season.

The Picks

In the two match-ups pitting top 25 teams, Virginia Tech continues to surprise people and wins the ACC by defeating the Miami Hurricanes. Auburn finishes the season undefeated and continues the BCS debate by defeating Tennessee for the second time this season. Season Record: 30-18