The Doak Walker Award goes to the best running back in the country, as chosen by The PwC SMU Athletic Forum. The committee announced 10 semi-finalists and the ACC has two representatives on the list.
Omarion Hampton
The North Carolina junior is coming off a career game. He had career highs in carries (35) and rushing yards (244) in the win over Wake Forest in Chapel Hill. At halftime, he had more rushing yards than the entire Wake Forest offense had in total yards. He has rushed for 100+ yards in nine of the Tar Heels’ 10 games, including the last eight in a row.
Hampton is second in the country in total rushing yards with 1,422. He also has 14 rushing touchdowns. That last mark puts him 11th in the country. His 142 rushing yards per game places him second in the country for that statistic. He is fifth all-time at UNC with 3,327 career rushing.
Brashard Smith
Smith has been a key part of an SMU offense that has the Mustangs at 9-1 and in the hunt for the ACC championship in their first year in the conference. He converted from wide receiver before the season started to fill a need at running back for SMU. Now he is a semifinalist for one of the most prestigious awards for the position.
Smith has 1,026 rushing yards on just 158 carries this season, totaling 12 touchdowns. He’s also added 26 receptions for 203 yards and two receiving scores. He has Smith has over 100 all-purpose yards in nine of 10 games. Along with his 243 kickoff return yards, he is the only player in the FBS with 1,000-plus rushing, 200-plus receiving, and 200-plus kickoff return yards this year.
The List
The other eight semifinalists are:
Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
DJ Giddens, Kansas State
RJ Harvey, UCF
Makhi Hughes, Tulane
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
The award committee will name three finalists on November 26th. The winner will be announced at the Home Depot Awards show on December 12th.
