HOUSTON --- The University of Houston today announced that junior quarterback Case Keenum was named a finalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. He joins Colt McCoy of the University of Texas and Tim Tebow of the University of Florida as the three finalists.

The 2009 O'Brien Winner will be announced live on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. (CST) on ESPN and will be honored at the 33rd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.

"The caliber of talent these three young men bring to the sport is undeniable and we are honored to recognize them as the 2009 O'Brien Finalists," said Danielle Moorman, executive director of the Davey O'Brien Foundation. "This year's fan support has far surpassed our expectations. To date, fans have cast close to 150,000 votes for their favorite quarterback."

A three-year starter at quarterback, Keenum currently leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense (428.27 ypg.), passing (418.09 ypg.) and touchdown passes (36) and has led the Cougars to their first national ranking in 18 seasons. Keenum has thrown for over 300 yards in 10 of 11 games this season, including back-to-back contests of at least 500 yards in come-from-behind wins over Southern Miss and Tulsa.

Keenum has been named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week six times in 2009, and has posted the nation’s top three passing games of 559 yards (Southern Miss), 544 yards (UTEP) and 522 yards (Tulsa.) In a 405-yard, five-touchdown performance on Saturday in leading Houston to a 55-14 win over Memphis, Keenum became the school leader in touchdown passes (94) and completions (971), with his sights set on becoming only the second quarterback in FBS history to top 5,000 yards passing in a season, twice.

Keenum has returned the spotlight to Cougar football and given Houston its second O'Brien hopeful since Andre Ware won The O'Brien in 1989.

“I think on paper from a statistical standpoint there is no doubt he deserves to be considered for this prestigious award,” head football coach Kevin Sumlin said. “Throw in the intangibles of what he accomplishes both on and off the field, and it further shows what a deserving candidate he is.”

The Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, broadcasters, commentators and former winners, selected The O'Brien Finalists, with the Fan Vote accounting for 5 percent of the total vote. The Selection Committee is asked to evaluate each candidate on the criteria of his quarterback skills and athletic ability, academics, his reputation as a team player, character, leadership and sportsmanship. For a complete listing of the Selection Committee, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

About The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award®

The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O'Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O'Brien is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org .

National College Football Awards Association
The O'Brien is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official Web site, www.NCFAA.org .

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