Stafford named to Davey O'Brien Award watch list

ATHENS - Georgia junior quarterback Matthew Stafford has been named to the 2008 Davey O'Brien Award Watch List, according to an announcement from the Davey O'Brien Foundation and its national selection committee.

Stafford is one of 31 quarterbacks from the Bowl Subdivision who will vie for the award honoring the nation's best quarterback for the 2008 football season. Stafford is one of three quarterbacks from the Southeastern Conference to be recognized.

During the 2007 season, Stafford started all 13 games for the 11-2 Bulldogs, who finished No. 2 in the final Associated Press poll. The Dallas, Texas, native completed 194 passes for 19 touchdowns and 2,523 yards, which was the third-most yards by a sophomore in school history. Stafford led the Bulldogs to a 7-0 record to finish the season, including a 41-10 rout of No. 10 Hawaii in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

The 2008 winner will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN Dec. 11. The recipient will be honored Feb. 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

The O'Brien award honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, this award aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate.

The Bulldogs kickoff the season against Georgia Southern in Sanford Stadium on Aug. 30 at 12:30 p.m.