UH's Ward wins Earl Campbell Award

UH quarterback Greg Ward Jr. won the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award on Wednesday night.

Ward was picked out of a group of finalists that also included TCU's Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson, Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield, and Baylor's Corey Coleman. The award goes to the top offensive Division I player in college football who best exemplifies the Earl Campbell traits of integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity. Also, the criteria includes some kind of connection to Texas, be it through birth, high school, or college.

"(It) feels like I'm winning the Hesiman Trophy," Ward said. "I'm just very blessed to be up here. For Earl to nominate me and me being selected, that's very big and I'm very thankful.

"I'm just overjoyed."

Ward just finished a junior season where he passed for nearly 3,000 yards, with 17 touchdowns to only six interceptions. He also became the first quarterback in UH history to rush for over 1000 yards. He rushed for 21 touchdowns.

UH ended the year at 13-1 after a Peach Bowl win over Florida State, finishing eighth in the final AP poll.

"(I'm) extremely excited for him," Tom Herman said on Wednesday. "Especially to be in the mix with some of these great nominees with Trevone Boykin, Baker Mayfield, and the like."