Nov. 12, 2003

New Haven, Conn. - University of Missouri sophomore quarterback Brad Smith (Youngstown, Ohio) has been identified as part of the 15 "Players to Watch" list by the Walter Camp Football Foundation for its 2003 Player of the Year Award, as announced today by the Foundation.

The award, the fourth-oldest individual college football award in the nation, is selected by the 117 Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors, and will be announced live on the December 11 6:00 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation's annual national awards banquet on February 14, 2004 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven, Conn.

Smith has received national attention for his play this season, as he has led Mizzou to bowl eligibility for the first time since 1998, and only the third time since 1983. He is on pace to become the first player in NCAA history to amass 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in a season twice, after becoming only the second player ever to achieve the 2,000/1,000 feat last season.

Smith enters this weekend's game vs. Texas A&M with 1,470 passing yards and 953 rushing yards. He has thrown for 10 touchdowns this season and has scored 13 total TDs (12 rushing, 1 receiving). His 291-yard rushing performance against Texas Tech on Oct. 25th remains as the single-game NCAA high in 2003, and his 5 TDs scored that day broke a school record. Earlier in the year, he engineered a 41-24 upset win by Mizzou over 10th-ranked Nebraska, giving MU its first win over the Huskers since 1978.

The list of Walter Camp "Players to Watch" includes:

David Ball, DE, Sr., UCLA

Michael Boulware, LB, Sr., Florida State

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Soph., Pittsburgh

Tommie Harris, DE, Jr., Oklahoma

Kevin Jones, RB, Jr., Virginia Tech

Matt Leinart, QB, Soph., USC

Eli Manning, QB, Sr., Mississippi

Chris Perry, RB, Sr., Michigan

Philip Rivers, QB, Sr., North Carolina State

Brad Smith, QB, Soph., Missouri

B.J. Symons, QB, Sr., Texas Tech

Michael Turner, RB, Sr., Northern Illinois

Jason White, QB, Sr., Oklahoma

Reggie Williams, WR, Jr., Washington

Rashaun Woods, WR, Sr., Oklahoma State