Johnson Named To Biletnikoff Award Watch List

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From SMUMustangs.com:

Johnson Named To Biletnikoff Award Watch List
Senior One Of 49 On List

July 17, 2012

Tallahassee, Fla. (TQC/SMU) - SMU senior Darius Johnson has been named to the 2012 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) announced today. The award annually recognizes the outstanding receiver in college football.
Johnson has been named MVP in back-to-back bowl games for the Mustangs and was a first-team All-C-USA pick in 2011. He wrapped up 2011 with a seven-catch, 120-yard, one-TD performance in SMU's BBVA Compass Bowl win over Pitt. He finished the year with 79 catches for 1,188 yards and eight TDs.

The award recipient is selected by the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of over 180 prominent football journalists, commentators, and receivers. The TQC will announce the 10 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists on Nov. 12, following a vote by the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee. Likewise, the three finalists will be declared, following another vote, on Nov. 19. The 2012 winner will be presented live on Dec. 6, 2012, on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show to be broadcast on ESPN.

The name Biletnikoff is synonymous with the term receiver. Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was an All-Pro receiver with the Oakland Raiders and an All-America receiver at Florida State. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year NFL career and was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI.

The TQC created the Biletnikoff Award in 1994. Sixteen college receivers have won the award, including Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Michael Crabtree, and Larry Fitzgerald.

On the heels of its third straight bowl appearance, SMU will host Texas A&M, TCU, Memphis, C-USA West rivals Houston and Tulsa and 2011 C-USA Champion Southern Miss at Ford Stadium in 2012. Ticket sales have been brisk, as SMU has already surpassed its season ticket sales totals for the rest of the June Jones era. For Mustang ticket information, call the Athletics Department Ticket Office at (214) SMU-GAME (768-4263).