Three of the five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award are come out of the PAC 12. USC’s Cody Kessler and UClA’s Brett Hundley join Hesiman front runner Marcus Mariota as potential recipients of the Golden Arm award. The other two finalists are Baylor’s Bryce Petty and Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott.
Here’s a quick rundown of each quarterback:
Cody Kessler: 69.7 Comp%, 2548 yards, 25 TD, 2 INT and a 168.2 Passer Rating. Kessler is one of two quarterbacks (Mariota is the other) to throw 25+ touchdowns with less than three interceptions. His 168.2 Passer Rating and 69.2 Completion Percentage are both good for fourth in the nation.
Brett Hundley: 72.1 Comp%, 2547 yards, 17 TD, 4 INT and a 158.1 Passer Rating. Hundley is the nation’s most accurate passer with his 72.1 Completion Percentage. The UCLA quarterback is one of the country’s most dangerous dual threat quarterbacks and has 7 rushing touchdowns.
Bryce Petty: 58.0 Comp%, 2421 yards, 21 TD, 3 INT, 152.2 Passer Rating. Petty has thrown for 54 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions during his Baylor career. That’s impressive.
Dak Prescott: 61.1 Comp%, 2231 yards, 18 TD, 7 INT, 158.5 Passer Rating, 779 rushing yards, 11 rushing TD. The Mississippi State quarterback has been the driving force for the No. 1 team in the country.
Marcus Mariota: 67.1 Comp%, 2780 yards, 29 TD, 2 INT, 184.6 Passer Rating. Mariota has the highest Passer Rating in the country and his mark of 10.0 yards per pass attempt is also the best in the nation.
“The winner of the Golden Arm Award is recognized not only for his athletic accomplishments, but also for his character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities, and athletic abilities,” said John Unitas, Jr., President of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc.
Top Photo by Gary Breedlove
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Tyler graduated from the University of Oregon’s journalism program back in the spring of 2010. Tyler has loved the Ducks since the days of his youth, and that love has only grown as he’s gotten older. Outside of Oregon football Tyler dives deep into Major League Baseball every year, and considers himself to be a baseball historian of sorts. He also has a Black Labrador named “Page” after Jimmy Page of the mighty Led Zeppelin. In his spare time he enjoys fishing, golfing, and snowboarding even if his skills are questionable at best in those areas.