O'Brien Quarterback Award Marquee Match-up for Week Eight

FORT WORTH, Texas (October 15, 2007) - The 2007 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O'Brien) Marquee Match-up for week 8 features two O'Brien aspirants, both in the top 20 in passing statistics, battling for Big XII dominance. Fan voting on The O'Brien's Web site, www.DaveyOBrien.com, is a new component to the award's voting procedures for 2007. This week's Marquee Match-up will undoubtedly grab the attention of fan voters who want their team to stay in the hunt for the Big XII title.

Marquee Match-up - Texas Tech at Missouri (All games listed in CST)

Saturday, Oct. 20 at 2:30 p.m. on ABC

Graham Harrell, a member of the pre-season Davey O'Brien Watch List, has torched defenses for more than 3,100 yards, 31 touchdowns with a passer rating of 178 this season. His prowess as the nation's second leading passer has kept him close in the Fan Vote, currently sitting on the bubble in 4th place. Chase Daniel of Missouri, 16th in O'Brien voting, has been impressive this season. This pre-season O'Brien Watch List candidate has completed 69% of his passes for 16 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards passing. The Tigers are 5-1 with Daniel at the helm this season.
Texas Tech and the Masked Rider travel to Mizzou with a three-game winning streak to try and tame the Tigers. Fans will be shouting "Get Your Guns Up" to push Harrell into third place and start this match-up early with the Fan Vote. Chase Daniel and Graham Harrell will look to their fans for the first completion of the weekend as voting continues to see who gets into The O'Brien's top three.

Head-to-Head O'Brien Match-ups

These O'Brien Watch List contenders will face off in our highlighted quarterback battles of the week.


· Hankins, Martin (Memphis) at Clement, Chase (Rice); Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. on MTN

· Sween, Karsten (Wyoming) at Carney, Shaun (Air Force); Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. (not televised)

Fans are able to vote for the starting quarterback from any of the 119 Division I-A football programs, leaving room for the possibility of a quarterback who is not on the Watch List to win the award. Fans can vote once daily on The O'Brien's Web site in hopes of moving their pick to the final round.

The top three quarterbacks who garner the most votes will be added to The O'Brien semifinalist list, and the Fan Vote will count as 5% in determining the finalists and winner. The 2007 O'Brien winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN Dec. 6.