Ferguson, Laufenberg on Outland Trophy Watch List
7/21/2020 11:01:00 AM | Football
Air Force one of 17 schools with multiple players selected
Air Force senior offensive linemen Parker Ferguson and Nolan Laufenberg have been named to the watch list for the 2020 Outland Trophy, recognizing 85 standout interior linemen representing all 10 Division I FBS conference and independents, according to an announcement today by the Football Writers Association of America.
Laufenberg and Ferguson anchored an Air Force offensive line that led the conference and ranked second nationally in rushing in 2019 with a 298.5 per-game average. The offensive line allowed just four sacks last season, the fewest in the nation. Air Force led the conference and ranked second nationally in third-down percentage with a 53.5 mark and in time of possession at 34:28 per game.
Air Force capped a historic season with a 31-21 win over Washington State in the Cheez-It Bowl Dec. 27 in Phoenix, Ariz. The win gave Air Force an 11-2 overall record. Air Force's 11 wins are the third most in program history, trailing the 12 wins in 1985 and 1998. The Falcons closed the season with an eight-game winning streak, the program's longest in one season since 1998. The eight-game winning streak ties as the third longest overall in program history and is the second longest active streak in the nation. Air Force closed the season ranked in the final national polls for the first time since 1998, as the Falcons finished 22nd in the Associated Press poll and 23rd in the USA Today Coaches poll.
This is the 75th anniversary season for the Outland Trophy and the watch list presents a diverse field of players to accompany the return of 2019 Outland Trophy winner, offensive tackle Penei Sewell of Oregon.
Sewell, a junior, is the only returning lineman among the 2019 Outland Trophy semifinalists and 2019 FWAA All-Americans. He became Oregon's first Outland Trophy winner last season and was the third consecutive sophomore to receive this prestigious award. The 6-6, 325-pound junior from Malaeimi, American Samoa and then Desert Hills High School in St. George, Utah, emerged as a dominant left tackle for the 2020 Rose Bowl champions and did not allow a sack last season. He had eight games without allowing a pressure, hit or hurry on the quarterback, and in 466 pass-blocking snaps allowed only seven quarterback pressures.
The Alabama Crimson Tide top the watch list with four selections – guards Deonte Brown and Landon Dickerson, offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood and defensive tackle LaBryan Ray – with Notre Dame and Ohio State posting three players each. Notre Dame's three representatives are all on offense – center Jarrett Patterson, guard Aaron Banks and 2019 watch list member Liam Eichenberg. The SEC leads the conference totals with 14 – defending national champion LSU has defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin, Tennessee offers a guard pair with Cade Mays and Trey Smith, and Kentucky has center Drake Jackson and offensive tackle Darian Kinnard. The Big Ten has 12 players, buoyed by a trio of Ohio State offensive linemen – center Josh Myers, guard Wyatt Davis and tackle Thayer Munford – to go with teammates from Illinois, Iowa and Michigan.
Pitt is one of 17 schools to have a pair of players on the list, as defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman led the nation's interior linemen last season with 10.5 sacks and center Jimmy Morrissey is among 13 players who return from the 2019 watch list. Clemson, the national runner-up, offers a pair of tackles in Jackson Carmen on offense and Tyler Davis on defense, part of the ACC's nine entries that also includes Boston College guard Zion Johnson and offensive tackle Ben Petrula, linemen who led the nation's eighth-best rushing attack last year.
The Pac-12 is third among the conference totals with 11 as defensive tackle Jordon Scott joins Sewell from Oregon, Stanford has center Drew Dalman and offensive Walker Little, and USC has defensive tackle Jay Tufele and offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey and offensive tackle Adrian Ealy guided one of last season's College Football Playoff teams and top-five total offense units up front.
West Virginia is the only team to have multiple defensive players on the list with the brother defensive tackle tandem of Dante and Darius Stills, part of the Big 12's six entries. BYU, Western Michigan, Air Force and Appalachian State also have double representation on the list.
The recipient of the 75th Outland Trophy will be announced in early December. The official presentation to the winner will be made in Omaha, Neb., at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, scheduled for Jan. 13, 2021.
Watch list candidates may be added or removed during the season. The distribution of watch list candidates is spread well among the conferences – behind the 14 from the SEC and 12 from the Big Ten are the Pac-12 with 11 and the Atlantic Coast (9), followed by the Mountain West (7), Big 12 (6), the Independents (6), and the American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt with five each. The list includes 32 offensive tackles, 21 offensive guards, 17 defensive tackles and 15 centers.
Laufenberg and Ferguson anchored an Air Force offensive line that led the conference and ranked second nationally in rushing in 2019 with a 298.5 per-game average. The offensive line allowed just four sacks last season, the fewest in the nation. Air Force led the conference and ranked second nationally in third-down percentage with a 53.5 mark and in time of possession at 34:28 per game.
Air Force capped a historic season with a 31-21 win over Washington State in the Cheez-It Bowl Dec. 27 in Phoenix, Ariz. The win gave Air Force an 11-2 overall record. Air Force's 11 wins are the third most in program history, trailing the 12 wins in 1985 and 1998. The Falcons closed the season with an eight-game winning streak, the program's longest in one season since 1998. The eight-game winning streak ties as the third longest overall in program history and is the second longest active streak in the nation. Air Force closed the season ranked in the final national polls for the first time since 1998, as the Falcons finished 22nd in the Associated Press poll and 23rd in the USA Today Coaches poll.
This is the 75th anniversary season for the Outland Trophy and the watch list presents a diverse field of players to accompany the return of 2019 Outland Trophy winner, offensive tackle Penei Sewell of Oregon.
Sewell, a junior, is the only returning lineman among the 2019 Outland Trophy semifinalists and 2019 FWAA All-Americans. He became Oregon's first Outland Trophy winner last season and was the third consecutive sophomore to receive this prestigious award. The 6-6, 325-pound junior from Malaeimi, American Samoa and then Desert Hills High School in St. George, Utah, emerged as a dominant left tackle for the 2020 Rose Bowl champions and did not allow a sack last season. He had eight games without allowing a pressure, hit or hurry on the quarterback, and in 466 pass-blocking snaps allowed only seven quarterback pressures.
The Alabama Crimson Tide top the watch list with four selections – guards Deonte Brown and Landon Dickerson, offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood and defensive tackle LaBryan Ray – with Notre Dame and Ohio State posting three players each. Notre Dame's three representatives are all on offense – center Jarrett Patterson, guard Aaron Banks and 2019 watch list member Liam Eichenberg. The SEC leads the conference totals with 14 – defending national champion LSU has defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin, Tennessee offers a guard pair with Cade Mays and Trey Smith, and Kentucky has center Drake Jackson and offensive tackle Darian Kinnard. The Big Ten has 12 players, buoyed by a trio of Ohio State offensive linemen – center Josh Myers, guard Wyatt Davis and tackle Thayer Munford – to go with teammates from Illinois, Iowa and Michigan.
Pitt is one of 17 schools to have a pair of players on the list, as defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman led the nation's interior linemen last season with 10.5 sacks and center Jimmy Morrissey is among 13 players who return from the 2019 watch list. Clemson, the national runner-up, offers a pair of tackles in Jackson Carmen on offense and Tyler Davis on defense, part of the ACC's nine entries that also includes Boston College guard Zion Johnson and offensive tackle Ben Petrula, linemen who led the nation's eighth-best rushing attack last year.
The Pac-12 is third among the conference totals with 11 as defensive tackle Jordon Scott joins Sewell from Oregon, Stanford has center Drew Dalman and offensive Walker Little, and USC has defensive tackle Jay Tufele and offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey and offensive tackle Adrian Ealy guided one of last season's College Football Playoff teams and top-five total offense units up front.
West Virginia is the only team to have multiple defensive players on the list with the brother defensive tackle tandem of Dante and Darius Stills, part of the Big 12's six entries. BYU, Western Michigan, Air Force and Appalachian State also have double representation on the list.
The recipient of the 75th Outland Trophy will be announced in early December. The official presentation to the winner will be made in Omaha, Neb., at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, scheduled for Jan. 13, 2021.
Watch list candidates may be added or removed during the season. The distribution of watch list candidates is spread well among the conferences – behind the 14 from the SEC and 12 from the Big Ten are the Pac-12 with 11 and the Atlantic Coast (9), followed by the Mountain West (7), Big 12 (6), the Independents (6), and the American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt with five each. The list includes 32 offensive tackles, 21 offensive guards, 17 defensive tackles and 15 centers.
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
OL
/ FootballAir Force vs. Bucknell - All Falcon Touchdowns
Monday, December 29
Falcons take care of Colorado State in Fort Collins
Monday, December 01
Troy Calhoun and Players Interview post Colorado State
Friday, November 28
Football Press Conference - November 25th, 2025
Tuesday, November 25
