Bo Wallace Named Conerly Trophy Finalist

Photo by Seph Anderson / HottyToddy.com

JACKSON, Miss. – Ole Miss junior quarterback Bo Wallace, last year’s C Spire Conerly Trophy winner, is among 10 finalists for the award again this year, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum announced Monday.

If Wallace wins the 2013 award, he would become the first back-to-back C Spire Conerly Trophy recipient in the history of the award that goes annually to the player voted Mississippi’s most outstanding college football player.

Wallace, who led East Mississippi Community College to a national championship as a freshman, ranks third in the SEC and 24th nationally in total offense (286 yards per game) and fourth in the SEC and 24th nationally in passing (264.4 ypg). In less than two years behind center at Ole Miss, he ranks third in school history with 6,530 total yards, fourth with 5,902 passing yards, fourth with 39 touchdown passes and second with seven 300-yard passing games. The Pulaski, Tenn., native has thrown only six interceptions this year after throwing 17 last year. He is on pace to break Eli Manning’s Ole Miss single-season total yardage record.

Other finalists are offensive guard Gabe Jackson of Mississippi State; prolific running backs Arnold Walker of Alcorn State and Mike Barthelemy of Millsaps; quarterbacks Clayton Moore of Jackson State and Jonathan Redd of Mississippi College; offensive lineman Matt Hall of Belhaven; wide receiver Ricky Hunt of Delta State; defensive tackle Khyri Thornton of Southern Miss; and cornerback Avery Boykin of Mississippi Valley State.

The 18th C Spire Conerly Trophy will be awarded Dec. 3 at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson. Among past winners were such prominent future NFL standouts as Eli Manning, Deuce McAllister, Jerious Norwood, Michael Boley, Patrick Willis, Anthony Dixon and many others. In 2014, McAllister, the leading rusher and touchdown scorer in Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints history, will be the first C Spire Conerly winner to enter the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Tickets are available at 601-982-8264 or at msfame.com. There will be a 5:30 p.m. reception followed by a6:30 p.m. banquet.

Manning won the Conerly as a sophomore and again as a senior. He is the only two-time winner of the award named for College Football Hall of Famer Charlie Conerly, who also starred for the Ole Miss Rebels and the New York Giants.

For the first time in history of the C Spire Conerly, the general public has the opportunity to be involved in the voting through social media. Fan voting will account for 10 percent of the vote. The other 90 percent will come from a statewide panel of media who cover Mississippi college football. Fan voting will begin on Nov. 26 at 8 a.m. and conclude on Dec. 2 at 8 a.m.

Just as the media voters do, fans will vote for a first-place, second-place and third-place winner. Fans will be able to vote by Facebook, Twitter and via text messaging. For entry rules and qualifications on fan voting, go to www.cspire.com/conerly.

Jackson, a preseason All-America guard, is also one of the frontrunners for the first Kent Hull Trophy, which will be selected by a panel of experts (including former college coaches, players and pro scouts) and will be announced later this week and will be awarded at the C Spire Conerly event. Named in honor of the former Mississippi State and Buffalo Bills star, the Hull Trophy will go to the top offensive lineman in the state.

To order tickets to the C Spire Conerly Trophy Banquet, call 601 982-8264 or visit www.msfame.com.

— Joey Jones, Ole Miss Sports Information