The Paul Hornung Award

Honorees Combined for Eight Touchdowns Four Different Ways

Louisville, Ky. – Oct. 4, 2021 – Five players representing four conferences spread across the U.S. led their teams to wins this weekend to earn the Paul Hornung Weekly Honor Roll in week five of the college football season.

Jahan Dotson from Penn State and Jayden Reed from Michigan State represent the Big Ten; Justin Hall from Ball State represents the MAC; Kobe Pace from Clemson represents the ACC; and Calvin Turner Jr. from Hawaii represents the Mountain West.

The Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse, now in its 12th season, is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football by the Louisville Sports Commission to pay tribute to football legend and Louisville native Paul Hornung, who passed away in Nov. 2021. The winner and his family will be honored at the annual Paul Hornung Award dinner at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville on Mar. 8, 2022.

College football fans nationwide have the opportunity to vote for their favorite player during the regular season and again during the bowl season. Online fan voting powered by Texas Roadhouse is now open HERE and factors into the selection of the finalists and winner.

Penn State senior wide receiver / return specialist Jahan Dotson touched the ball 15 times four different ways and scored twice in the Nittany Lions’ 24-0 home win over Indiana. Dotson hauled in an eight-yard scoring pass in the second quarter and a 30-yard scoring pass in the third quarter that effectively put the game out of reach. He had three catches for first downs, completed an 18-yard pass for a first down and carrier the ball once. Dotson also returned a punt 16 yards and fair caught two punts.

Ball State senior wide receiver / return specialist Justin Hall touched the ball 12 times four different ways and scored once in the Cardinals’ 28-16 home win over previously unbeaten Army. Hall returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a score, caught seven passes, carried the ball once and handled three punts, including two fair catches. Four of his receptions went for first downs, two on what proved to be the winning scoring drive.

Clemson sophomore running back / return specialist Kobe Pace touched the ball 23 times three different ways and scored once in the Tigers’ 19-13, hard-fought home win over Boston College. Pace had two catches for 41 yards and carried the ball 19 times for 125 yards, including a 59-yard run to open the game’s scoring for Clemson’s only touchdown of the game. He accounted for three first downs rushing, two first downs receiving and handled two kickoffs.

Michigan State junior wide receiver / returns specialist Jayden Reed touched the ball four different ways and scored two different ways as the Spartans outscored Western Kentucky 48-31 in East Lansing. Reed returned the game’s first punt 88 yards for a score then added a 46-yard scoring reception in the first quarter as MSU built a 21-3 lead. He also returned two kickoffs for lengthy yardage that led to MSU touchdowns, carried the ball once and fair caught a punt.

Hawaii all-purpose back / return specialist Calvin Turner Jr. touched the ball three different ways and scored two different ways as the Rainbow Warriors upset no. 18 Fresno State 27-24 in Honolulu. Turner lined up at wildcat quarterback, slot, running back, slot receiver and kick returner. He opened the scoring on a one-yard run then caught an 18-yard scoring pass late in the game to tie the score. He added a nine-yard reception for a first down on the winning field goal drive. Turner finished the game with 19 touches, including one kickoff return.

The Louisville Sports Commission successfully launched the Paul Hornung Award in 2010 to honor its namesake and native son, and to promote outstanding performances by versatile college football players who often go unnoticed. Each week during the regular season, a panel of college football experts selects players for the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll based on performance. A national selection committee comprised of 17 sports journalists and former NFL stars votes for the Hornung Award finalists and the winner, with fan voting powered by Texas Roadhouse comprising the 18th vote. Regional accounting firm Dean Dorton independently tabulates all votes. For more information, visit www.paulhornungaward.com. Fans also can follow online on Twitter (@hornungaward) and Become a Fan on Facebook.

Previous Paul Hornung Award winners by year:

• 2020: DeVonta Smith of Alabama topped the nation in receiving yards and yards after catch, and averaged 24 yards per punt return leading the Crimson Tide to the national championship. He scored touchdowns rushing, receiving and returning punts and was a gunner on punt coverage.
• 2019: Lynn Bowden Jr. of Kentucky made the move from all-purpose receiver/wildcat quarterback/return specialist to quarterback in mid-season and led the Wildcats to a 5-2 record and Belk Bowl win over Virginia Tech.
• 2018: Rondale Moore of Purdue was a dynamic All-American freshman sensation who broke the school record for all-purpose yards in a season and a game with 2,215 and 313, respectively.
• 2017: Saquon Barkley of Penn State was an electrifying All-American running back who lined up at slot and wildcat quarterback, and returned kicks and punts;
• 2016: Jabrill Peppers of Michigan played 15 different positions on defense, offense and special teams, and earned first team All-America at linebacker;
• 2015: Christian McCaffrey of Stanford was a workhorse on offense and special teams who broke the NCAA record for all-purpose yards, finishing with 3,864;
• 2014: Shaq Thompson of Washington was a two-way player, earning first team All-American honors at linebacker and finished as the Husky’s second-leading rusher at tailback;
• 2013: Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU finished the season ranked second in the nation and first in the Southeastern Conference with 2,222 all-purpose yards and 185.2 average yards per game;
• 2012: Tavon Austin of West Virginia earned All-American by scoring 17 touchdowns receiving, rushing, returning kicks and punts; and amassing 2,272 all-purpose yards, including 572 yards versus Oklahoma.
• 2011: Brandon Boykin of Georgia was a lockdown cornerback on defense; scored three touchdowns playing quarterback, running back and slot on offense; and led the SEC in punt and kick returns.
• 2010: Owen Marecic of Stanford was a two-way starter who averaged 110 snaps per game and earned first team All Pac-10 at fullback and honorable mention at linebacker.

Below are past winners and finalists who have made their mark in the NFL:

• Ameer Abdullah* RB; Nebraska / Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings
• Joe Adams WR; Arkansas / Carolina Panthers
• Antonio Andrews WR; Western Kentucky / Tennessee Titans
• Dri Archer RB; Kent State / Pittsburgh Steelers
• Tavon Austin RB; West Virginia / St. Louis, Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers
• Saquon Barkley* RB; Penn State / New York Giants
• Odell Beckham Jr* WR; LSU / New York Giants, Cleveland Browns
• Lynn Bowden, Jr.* WR; Kentucky / Miami Dolphins
• Brandon Boykin CB; Georgia / Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens
• Randall Cobb* WR; Kentucky / Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans
• D’Wayne Eskridge* WR; North Carolina / Seattle Seahawks
• Travis Etienne* RB; Clemson / Jacksonville Jaguars
• Clyde Edwards-Helaire* RB; LSU / Kansas City Chiefs
• Marcus Green WR; Louisiana-Monroe / Philadelphia Eagles
• Marion Grice RB; Arizona State / Arizona Cardinals
• KJ Hamler WR; Penn State / Denver Broncos
• N’Keal Harry* WR; Arizona State / New England Patriots
• Nyheim Hines* RB; NC State / Indianapolis Colts
• Myles Jack* LB; UCLA / Jacksonville Jaguars
• Adoree’ Jackson* CB; USC / Tennessee Titans
• LaMichael James RB; Oregon / Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers
• Jeremy Kerley WR; TCU / San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills
• Joel Lanning LB; Iowa State / Dallas Cowboys
• Marqise Lee* WR; USC / Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots
• Johnny Manziel QB; Texas A&M / Cleveland Browns
• Owen Marecic DB; Stanford / Cleveland Browns
• Christian McCaffrey* RB; Stanford / Carolina Panthers
• Ty Montgomery* RB; Stanford / Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints
• Marcus Murphy RB; Missouri / New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers
• Robert Nkemdiche* DL; Ole Miss / Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks
• Jabrill Peppers* DB; Michigan / Cleveland Browns, New York Giants
• Dante Pettis* WR; Washington / San Francisco 49ers
• Joe Reed* WR; Virginia / Los Angeles Chargers
• DeVonta Smith* WR; Alabama / Philadelphia Eagles
• Shaq Thompson* LB; Washington / Carolina Panthers
• Kadarius Toney* WR; Florida / New York Giants
• Dede Westbrook* WR; Oklahoma / Jacksonville Jaguars

*Currently active in NFL