UB running back Jaret Patterson continues to garner national recognition during his record-breaking season.
On Monday, the junior was named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation’s top running back. Patterson is the first UB player to be named a semifinalist for the award.
Through four games, Patterson has rushed for 920 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also leads the nation in rushing yards per game, with 230. The junior’s 16 rushing touchdowns are good for third in the country.
Patterson rewrote the school and conference record books with his historic performance against Kent State. The Glendale, MD native ran for 409 yards and eight rushing touchdowns against the Golden Flashes.
His 409 rushing yards are the second-highest single-game total in FBS history and his eight rushing touchdowns tied a single-game FBS record. Patterson also made history by rushing for a combined 710 yards and 12 touchdowns in the Bulls’ last two games, an FBS record over a two-game span.
Other Doak Walker Award semifinalists include:
Travis Etienne - Clemson
Breece Hall - Iowa State
Najee Harris - Alabama
Mo Ibrahim - Minnesota
Jermar Jefferson - Oregon State
Sincere McCormick - UTSA
Isaiah Spiller - Texas A&M
Javonte Williams - North Carolina
Kyren Williams - Notre Dame
The Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast its votes and determine three finalists. The finalists will be announced on Monday, Dec. 21.
The committee will vote a final time to determine the 2020 award recipient, with the winner set to be named on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2021 on ESPN.
Anthony DeCicco is the Senior Sports Editor and can be reached at anthony.decicco@ubspectrum.com and on Twitter @DeCicco42
Anthony DeCicco is the Editor-in-Chief of The Spectrum. His words have appeared in outlets such as SLAM Magazine andSyracuse.com. In 2020, he was awarded First Prize for Sports Column Writing at the Society of Professional Journalists' Region 1 Mark of Excellence Awards. In his free time, he can be found watching ‘90s Knicks games and reading NFL Mock Drafts at 3 a.m.
