Brown and Phillips named to watch lists
8/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 28, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU tailback Aaron Brown has been named a candidate for the 2007 Doak Walker Award, while linebacker Jason Phillips appears on the watch list for the Butkus Award.
The Doak Walker Award is presented annually to the nation's top running back. The Butkus Award honors the best linebacker in the country.
TCU now has six players (Brown, Phillips, defensive ends Tommy Blake and Chase Ortiz, offensive guard Matty Lindner and center Blake Schlueter) who are official candidates for major postseason awards.
Brown, the preseason Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year, topped TCU in rushing last season with 801 yards while scoring a team-best 10 touchdowns. His 5.2 per carry average was the best among the MWC's top-eight ground gainers.
A junior from Katy, Texas, Brown placed second on the Horned Frogs last season with 34 receptions for 455 yards. The 34 grabs were the most by a TCU running back since Basil Mitchell totaled 40 in 1996. Brown was third in the MWC in all-purpose yards per game (116.8), including a career-best 285 in a 45-14 win at Colorado State.
Phillips was named by Dave Campbell's Texas Football as the State's Best Linebacker and a first-team All-Texas College selection. He has been an All-MWC pick in both of his first two seasons. In 2005, Phillips became the first freshman defensive player in league history to be named All-MWC.
Phillips, a junior from Waller, Texas, placed second on the Frogs with 73 tackles last season. He topped the 2005 squad with 71 stops in earning Freshman All-America honors.
