Oct. 29, 2003

Columbia, Mo. - University of Missouri sophomore quarterback Brad Smith continues to stockpile the awards after his record-breaking performance last Saturday against Texas Tech. The Youngstown, Ohio native has been named the National Player of the Week by USAToday.com. Smith also won a fan poll over four other candidates on the same website.

Smith ran for an MU quarterback record 291 yards Saturday against Texas Tech, as he led MU to a 62-31 win that made the Tigers bowl eligible for the first time since 1998. Smith rushed for five touchdowns, which broke the old MU single-game record of four. His rushing total is an NCAA high for any individual this season.

The USA Today award was just the latest of many he has received following his stellar performance against Tech. Earlier this week, Smith was named national player of the week by College Football News, Sports Illustrated.com, and College Sports Report, and was also named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three games.

Smith is also garnering attention for this season's Heisman Trophy race, as he is currently listed among the top-10 candidates by outlets such as Sports Illustrated.com (ranked No. 4 currently) and College Football News (No. 9). He is also charting highly in Heisman voting polls, as he received the 5th-most points in the latest Scripps Howard News Service poll, and was 7th in the latest ESPN.com Heisman poll.