Monday marked the beginning of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) releasing their official watch lists from July 8-19, and UCF quarterback and Oviedo native Blake Bortles was not ignored for one of the most prestigious accolades. The junior was selected to the Maxwell Award Watch List, which honors the best college football player in the country.
Bortles joined Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater as members of the American Athletic Conference who had their names on the watch list.
The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell, has been given to America’s College Player of the Year since 1937. Semifinalists will be announced Oct. 29, while the three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 25. The winner of the 2013 Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 12.
In June, Bortles picked up a spot on the College Football Performance Awards Quarterback Trophy Watch List.
Guiding UCF to a 10-4 record and its second straight bowl victory, Bortles shined in his first year as a starter in 2012 as the Knights averaged 35.4 points per game, which was the fifth-highest mark in school history. The 496 points scored were just six shy of the all-time record, while UCF set the school mark with 61 offensive touchdowns.
For Bortles, he would be voted on to the All-Conference USA Second Team and serve as the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl MVP. The first UCF quarterback to throw for at least 3,000 yards since 2002, Bortles finished the year 251-for-399 with 3,059 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He stands as the only Knights’ signal caller to have 10 games with at least two touchdown passes in a single season.
Bortles fell just shy of breaking Daunte Culpepper’s 1998 single-season UCF record (.0174) by having a .0175 interception-to-attempt ratio. Meanwhile, he enters 2013 with a school-record streak of 174 straight attempts without an interception.
On the ground, Bortles rushed for 285 yards and eight touchdowns. That was highlighted by 140 rushing yards in the final two games of the 2012 campaign.
Plan your game days this fall with the Knights and experience one of the best schedules in program history. Season tickets, starting at $99, guarantee both the South Carolina & USF match-ups.
And games are better in groups. Groups of twenty (20) or more are available for all home games at a 20% discounted price.