Rose III Enters 2017 on Maxwell Award Watch List
Senior running back Larry Rose III was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List on Monday.
PHILADELPHIA – New Mexico State football star running back Larry Rose III will once again start the season on the Maxwell Award Watch List the Maxwell Football Club announced on Monday.
Entering his senior campaign, Rose III currently sits in third on the all-time rushing yards list with 3,618 yards, fourth in rushing touchdowns with 27 and fourth in all-purpose yards with 4,253 yards.
A dynamic rusher, Rose III was lauded for his incredible 2015 season with a Third-Team AP All-America nod as well as being named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the year after rushing for 1,651 yards with 14 touchdowns in 240 attempts.
The Fairfield, Texas, product was the first Aggie since Denvis Manns (1995-98) to record back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons at the end of the 2015 season. He nearly added a third-straight season in 2016 despite missing the first three games of the season. However, Rose III was still able to lead the team with 865 rushing yards and finished his junior season with 170 rushing yards and two touchdowns against South Alabama on the road.
The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell, has been given to America's College Player of the Year since 1937. It is also a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football.
Rose III and the Aggies open the 2017 season on the road against Arizona State at 8:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network in Sun Devil Stadium.
Troy Quarterback Brandon Silvers Named to Maxwell Award Watch List
TROY, Alabama – Troy senior quarterback Brandon Silvers has been named to the prestigious Maxwell Award Watch List, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday. The Maxwell Award has been presented to “America’s College Player of the Year” since 1937.
Silvers is one of just 16 players from a Group of Five conference school to appear on the 85-man watch list and one of just three from the Sun Belt Conference.
A native of Orange Beach, Ala., Silvers led the Sun Belt and finished 35th nationally with 23 touchdown passes last season. Heading into his fourth year as Troy’s starting quarterback, Silvers has amassed 7,394 passing yards and 54 touchdowns in his career, while completing 64.7 percent of his passes. A versatile threat under center, Silvers has also rushed for 365 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career.
He completed 63.7 percent of his attempts during the 2016 season, the sixth-best among quarterbacks with at least 450 attempts, and is the NCAA record holder with his 69.5 completion percentage as a freshman.
Silvers led a Troy offensive attack that paced the Sun Belt averaging 33.7 points and 260.5 passing yards per game last season, while ranking second in total offense with 429.6 yards per game (a mere four overall yards behind Appalachian State).
Semifinalists for the 81st-annual Maxwell Award will be named on Oct. 30 and three finalists will be unveiled on Nov. 20. The winner of the 2017 Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 7. The formal presentation of the award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala on March 9, 2018 in Atlantic City, N.J.
Coming off the best turnaround in the country, an Associated Press Top 25 ranking, the first 10-win season in the school's FBS history and a Dollar General Bowl title, Troy will be among the favorites in the Sun Belt Conference and the Group of Five with 17 starters and 54 lettermen returning from the 2016 squad.
Troy set single-season records last season for both overall attendance and per-game attendance. The Trojans once again have six home games in The Vet including in-state matchups with Alabama State and South Alabama.
Also named: Jalin Moore, Appalachian State
2016 Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year … First-team All-Sun Belt Conference honoree … began the season as a backup to Marcus Cox, but made six consecutive starts after Cox was injured in the middle of the season … averaged 107.8 yards per game, leading the league in rushing and 23rd nationally … tied for second in the Sun Belt with 10 rushing touchdowns … led the Sun Belt in total rushing yards with 1,402, good for 19th in the nation … his breakout performance came in the form of a 39-carry, 257-yard effort against Akron in September, earning Sun Belt Player of the Week honors … rushed for over 100 yards in eight of the App’s final ten games … had three games with multiple rushing touchdowns including a 14-carry, 106-yard and two touchdown performance against UL Lafayette … ranked second in the Sun Belt with 6.2 yards per carry, behind teammate Marcus Cox with 6.4 … longest rush of the season came on a 63-yard carry against New Mexico State … also hauled in five catches for 32 yards including an 11-yard reception against Akron.