Aug. 24, 2002

Columbia, Mo. - Two University of Missouri football standouts have been named to pre-season award watch lists, as announced recently by the respective organizations.

Senior wide receiver Justin Gage is one of 32 wideouts named to the 2002 Biletnikoff Award watch list. Given to the nation's best receiver, the award is named for former Florida State and Oakland Raiders' receiver Fred Biletnikoff, and is presented annually by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation.

Gage is coming off a stellar 2001 season, when he caught 74 passes for 920 yards and five touchdowns. The reception mark was just one shy of the single-season school record. He enters the season ranked fourth on the school career receiving top-10 in both receptions (118) and yards (1,629), and needs just 34 catches for 516 yards this year to become MU's alltime leader in both categories. He was a 1st-Team All-Big 12 selection in 2001.

Fellow senior Keith Wright, a 2nd-Team All-Big 12 selection last year as a defensive lineman, was named to the 2002 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List. Wright was one of 122 players identified on the watch list for the award, which is given each year to the nation's best down lineman and those defensive players who line up within five yards of the football. The award is named after legendary coach Vince Lombardi.

Wright burst onto the scene last year with the Tigers when he registered 68 tackles (including 10 for losses) and two quarterback sacks in his first year of playing defensive tackle.

Gage and Wright join teammates Sean Doyle and A.J. Ricker on pre-season watch lists heading into the 2002 season. Doyle, a senior linebacker, was recently named to the Butkus Award watch list, and junior center A.J. Ricker is part of the Rimington Award watch list.