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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Miller Tabbed As Candidate For Davey O'Brien Award
10/28/1999 | Football
Oct. 28, 1999
FORT WORTH, Texas - Ole Miss junior quarterback Romaro Miller was announced today as one of 25 leading candidates for the 1999 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, presented each year to the nation's top collegiate quarterback.
Miller has led the Rebels this year to a 5-2 start and a No. 25 ranking in this week's Associated Press Top 25. He enters Saturday's game at LSU having completed 102-of-174 passes for 1,400 yards with 10 TDs and three interceptions. Miller ranks third in the SEC and 15th nationally in passing efficiency with a 141.7 quarterback rating, and his 58.6 completion percentage rates second in the SEC.
In 17 career starts at Ole Miss, the Shannon , Miss., native ranks sixth on the Ole Miss career list for total offense with 3,736 yards and is seventh in career passing with 3,700 yards. Against Alabama on Oct. 16, Miller passed for 217 yards to become the first signal-caller in school history to record at least five 200-yard passing games in back-to-back seasons, and his 12 career 200-yard passing games established a new school record. With 600 yards passing over the final four regular season games, Miller can become the first Rebel quarterback to post consecutive 2,000-yard passing seasons.
"The selection of Romaro as one of the 25 leading candidates for the Davey O'Brien Award is a real tribute to all the hard work he has done to place himself into this position," said Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe. "Romaro is a gifted athlete, and there's nothing he can't do. He has a great work ethic, a lot of pride, and spends the extra time it takes to be as good as he can be."
The candidates were selected by the O'Brien Advisory Committee, a panel of nationally known sportswriters and commentators. The committee will vote several more times during the season to narrow the field of candidates and ultimately select a winner.
The winner of the 1999 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award will be announced Dec. 9, 1999, during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN, which is broadcast live from Orlando, Fla. The winner and two runners-up will also be honored at the 23rd annual O'Brien Award Dinner, Feb. 21, 2000, at The Fort Worth Club.
The award is named in honor of the late Davey O'Brien, an All-American and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for Texas Christian University, who led the Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship.
The 25 candidates, in alphabetical order, are: Major Applewhite, Texas, Soph., Dusty Bonner, Kentucky, Soph., Tom Brady, Michigan, Sr., Drew Brees, Purdue, Jr., Bill Burke, Michigan State, Sr., Quincy Carter, Georgia, Soph., Eric Crouch, Nebraska, Soph., A.J. Feeley, Oregon, Jr., Kevin Feterik, Brigham Young, Sr., Joe Hamilton, Georgia Tech, Sr., Josh Heupel, Oklahoma, Jr., Jarious Jackson, Notre Dame, Sr., Doug Johnson, Florida, Sr., Jeff Kelly, Southern Mississippi, Soph., Tim Lester, Western Michigan, Sr., Randy McCown, Texas A&M, Sr., Tee Martin, Tennessee, Sr., Romaro Miller, Ole Miss, Jr., Chad Pennington, Marshall, Sr., Patrick Ramsey, Tulane, Soph., Antwaan Randle El, Indiana, Soph., Tim Rattay, Louisiana Tech, Sr., Chris Redman, Louisville, Sr., Michael Vick, Virginia Tech, Fr., and Chris Weinke, Florida State, Jr.