FLORENCE - Ala. ? ACU running back Bernard Scott is one of 24 players in the running for the 2008 Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year, including three finalists from 2007 and three other players who were candidates last season.
The list of candidates was announced Thursday by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee. The list includes six players from each of Division II's four Super Regionals. Players are nominated and voted on by the sports information directors at the 154 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions.
The 24 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on November 14.
The winner of the 2008 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the 23rd annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet on Friday, Dec. 12, at the Florence Conference Center at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 each or $400 for a table of eight and can be purchased by calling the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at (256) 764-4661. The NCAA Division II Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14, at Florence's Braly Municipal Stadium at noon.
Thirty-two candidates were initially nominated by the sports information directors at their respective schools and those nominations were reviewed by the Hill Regional Advisory Committees, which trimmed the list of candidates.
The remaining group of 24 candidates includes 13 quarterbacks, five running backs, three receivers, a defensive tackle, a linebacker and a cornerback. There are 17 seniors, six juniors and one sophomore.
After finishing as the runner-up for the 2007 Harlon Hill Trophy, Scott has put together a season that ha made him the favorite to win the trophy in 2008. Scott has racked up 1,494 yards on the ground and another 647 yards receiving through nine games and he has led the Wildcats to a 9-0 record, No. 1 ranking in NCAA Division II Super Region Four and and No. 2 ranking in both national polls.
Scott has scored 24 touchdowns on the season to give him 63 in just 22 games as a Wildcat, leaving him 14 short of breaking Wilbert Montgomery's Lone Star Conference and ACU career record of 76. Scott has scored 378 career points and needs 81 to break Montgomery's LSC and ACU career records of 458 points.
Scott ? the season-long frontrunner for the Harlon Hill Award, given each year to the top player in NCAA Division II football ? leads the nation in touchdowns (24), scoring (144 points), points per game (16.0) and all-purpose yards per game (237.9). Scott is second in the nation in rushing yards per game (166.0), and he is third in the nation in total rushing yards (1,494).
Scott is closing in on the top 10 all-time in several NCAA Division II career categories. With his totals from his freshman year at Central Arkansas (2004) included, Scott needs 134 yards to move into 30th place on the NCAA Division II all-time rushing list. Scott ? who has scored 75 career touchdowns, including 63 at ACU ? is second all-time to Chadron State (Neb.) running back Danny Woodhead in career points per game (13.6 ppg for Scott to 14.9 ppg for Woodhead), and he is 11th all-time in NCAA Division II history with those 75 touchdowns.
Scott is 12th all-time in NCAA Division II history with 450 points and needs 15 points to pass the trio of Walter Payton (Jackson State, 1971-74), Dervon Wallace (West Virginia State / Shepherd from 2003, 2005-07) and David Kircus (Grand Valley State from 1999-2002), all of whom are tied for ninth place in Division II history with 464 career points. With his 6,333 career all-purpose yards, Scott is 29th all-time in NCAA Division II history in that category, and his 191.9 all-purpose yards per game ranks 10th in NCAA Division II history.
The other five Super Region Four finalists are Northwest Missouri State running back LaRon Council, West Texas A&M wide receiver Charly Martin, Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly, Central Missouri quarterback Eric Czerniewski and Nebraska-Omaha running back Brian McNeil.
2008 Harlon Hill Trophy Candidates
Super Regional 1
Darren Banks, CB, West Liberty (Pa.)
Trevor Harris, QB, Edinboro (Pa.)
Kevin McCabe, QB, California (Pa.)
Travis Poole, WR, American International (Mass.)
Jerry Seymour, RB, Glenville State (W.Va.)
Michael Washington, WR, West Chester (Pa.)
Super Regional 2
Jacary Atkinson, QB, Tuskegee
Cole Barthel, QB, Arkansas Tech
Scott Buisson, QB, Arkansas-Monticello
A.J. Milwee, QB, North Alabama
Garry Pack, LB, Wet Alabama
Corey Russell, QB, Tusculum
Super Regional 3
Bobby Coy, RB, Mesa State
Billy Cundiff, QB, Ashland
Brad Iciek, QB, Grand Valley State
Joe McLain, QB, Chadron State
Ted Schlafke, QB, Minnesota-Duluth
Jake Visser, DT, Ferris State
Super Regional 4
LaRon Council, RB, Northwest Missouri State
Eric Czerniewski, QB, Central Missouri
Charly Martin, WR, West Texas A&M
Mike Reilly, QB, Central Washington
Bernard Scott, RB, Abilene Christian
Brian McNeil, RB, Nebraska-Omaha
