TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State sophomore running back Eno Benjaminis one of 13 semifinalists for the 2018 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award – presented annually to the nation's top offensive player hailing from Texas – as announced by the The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Selection Committee on Friday.
Benjamin is currently among the nation's top 10 and the Pac-12 leader in rushing yards (1,295/third), rushing yards per game (129.5/fourth), total touchdowns (14/seventh) and rushing touchdowns (12/ninth). Also a receiving threat out of the backfield, Benjamin is eighth nationally and second in the Pac-12 in all-purpose yards per game (150.7). Benjamin's current rushing total of 1,295 yards has already eclipsed Ryan Torain's Pac-12-era ASU school record of 1,229 yards for a single season (2006). He needs 271 yards to break Woody Green's school record of 1,565 yards set in 1972.
Earlier this season Benjamin set the school's single-game rushing record (No. 8 on Pac-12's all-time list) with 312 yards against Oregon State. In the same game Benjamin, who is third in the nation with 64 first downs rushing, also set the school record for most rushing yards in a half (185) against OSU. Benjamin, who has rushed for 100 or more yards seven times this season, has averaged 180.7 yards rushing while running for five scores in in ASU's last three games.
Benjamin has been as reliable as he has been consistent as he does not have a fumble on 230 carries this season – one of just 31 running backs that have played 300+ snaps without a fumble and the most carries without a fumble among any running back in the FBS. Benjamin ranks first among Pac-12 running backs with an overall grade of 81.4 according to Pro Football Focus, nearly 5 points high than the next closest tailback. It is the 11th-highest grade among all Pac-12 offensive players, regardless of position. He ranks 7th among Power-Five running backs with that 81.4 score, though he only had 23 career rushes prior to this season. No players in PFF's current Top-10 Power Five running backs had fewer than 100 touches last season.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity; specifically tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.
In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four year Division I Texas college. The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Selection Committee will be comprised of Texas-based journalists and college football dignitaries and, in subsequent years, each of the all-time winners.
Winners of their last three games, the Sun Devils (6-4, 4-3 Pac-12) travel to Eugene, Ore., later this week to face Oregon (6-4, 3-4) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. MT).
Benjamin is currently among the nation's top 10 and the Pac-12 leader in rushing yards (1,295/third), rushing yards per game (129.5/fourth), total touchdowns (14/seventh) and rushing touchdowns (12/ninth). Also a receiving threat out of the backfield, Benjamin is eighth nationally and second in the Pac-12 in all-purpose yards per game (150.7). Benjamin's current rushing total of 1,295 yards has already eclipsed Ryan Torain's Pac-12-era ASU school record of 1,229 yards for a single season (2006). He needs 271 yards to break Woody Green's school record of 1,565 yards set in 1972.
Earlier this season Benjamin set the school's single-game rushing record (No. 8 on Pac-12's all-time list) with 312 yards against Oregon State. In the same game Benjamin, who is third in the nation with 64 first downs rushing, also set the school record for most rushing yards in a half (185) against OSU. Benjamin, who has rushed for 100 or more yards seven times this season, has averaged 180.7 yards rushing while running for five scores in in ASU's last three games.
Benjamin has been as reliable as he has been consistent as he does not have a fumble on 230 carries this season – one of just 31 running backs that have played 300+ snaps without a fumble and the most carries without a fumble among any running back in the FBS. Benjamin ranks first among Pac-12 running backs with an overall grade of 81.4 according to Pro Football Focus, nearly 5 points high than the next closest tailback. It is the 11th-highest grade among all Pac-12 offensive players, regardless of position. He ranks 7th among Power-Five running backs with that 81.4 score, though he only had 23 career rushes prior to this season. No players in PFF's current Top-10 Power Five running backs had fewer than 100 touches last season.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity; specifically tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.
In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four year Division I Texas college. The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Selection Committee will be comprised of Texas-based journalists and college football dignitaries and, in subsequent years, each of the all-time winners.
Winners of their last three games, the Sun Devils (6-4, 4-3 Pac-12) travel to Eugene, Ore., later this week to face Oregon (6-4, 3-4) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. MT).
