STARKVILLE — Mississippi State senior offensive lineman Gabe Jackson was one of 10 finalists announced Monday for the C Spire Conerly Trophy, which is given to the top college football player in the state of Mississippi.
Jackson and the Ole Miss junior quarterback Bo Wallace, the 2012 Conerly winner, are believed to be favorites to receive the annual award.
Jackson, considered by many as one of the nation’s top offensive linemen and potential first-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft in April, would be the first MSU player to win the award since linebacker Chris White in 2010. He also would be the first offensive lineman to win the award. Earlier Monday, Jackson was named the Southeastern Conference offensive lineman of the week for the third time this season.
“It ends up, at least for me, being a great decision for me to come back for my senior season and give this another go-around,” Jackson said. “I think I’ve performed well and can always improve.”
Earlier this season, Jackson was a Sports Illustrated and Phil Steele Midseason All-American and was a member of Phil Steele’s Midseason First-Team All-SEC team. On Saturday against Arkansas, the Liberty native graded out at 85 percent and had three pancake blocks. This season, Jackson has graded at 86 percent against No. 1 Alabama and 89 percent at Texas A&M (four knockdown blocks). Jackson is a key reason MSU is averaging 438.0 yards a game, which is on pace to shatter the single-season record of 422.0 ypg. set in 1982.
MSU quarterbacks also have benefited from Jackson’s protection and are averaging 244.3 ypg, which is on pace to break the single-season record of 239.7 ypg set in 1978.
“To be part of such a special game like the Egg Bowl and be part of a possible four wins in five years, which not too many guys can say they accomplished in their MSU career, would be so special,” Jackson said.
If Wallace wins, he will become the second person to win the award twice, joining former Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, and he would be the first to win the award in back-to-back years.
Wallace is expected to play in the Battle for the Golden Egg on Thursday night after dealing with flu-like symptoms all last week. He needed several IVs to get through a 24-10 home loss to then-No. 8 Missouri on Saturday.
For the first time, fans will have say in who wins the Conerly Trophy. The fan vote will represent 10 percent of the total vote.
Ole Miss players have won the award five times since it was first given out in 1996. MSU and Southern Miss. have had a player win the award four times.
Williams listed as starter; Russell day-to-day with shoulder injury; Prescott out of Egg Bowl
MSU coach Dan Mullen said he isn’t smart enough to play mind games with Ole Miss this week.
Mullen said Saturday after a 24-17 overtime victory against Arkansas that sophomore quarterback Dak Prescott wouldn’t be available until a bowl game. Several MSU fans took to social media and message boards suggesting Mullen meant the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (ESPN). The Bulldogs’ fifth-year coach had to squash that misinterpretation.
“I’m not that smart to be that deceiving and with that kind of trickeration,” Mullen said. “In talking with our doctors, it’s one of those one-in-a-million type of things where there’s no structural damage, but until all the strength comes back, (Prescott is) not going to be cleared to play. In one range of motion, the nerve isn’t firing and recovering the same way.”
Prescott has been medically ruled out of games against No. 1 Alabama and Arkansas due to a severely pinched nerve in his left arm.
MSU fifth-year senior Tyler Russell earned his sixth start of the season Saturday and played every possession except for the second and final drives. Freshman Damian Williams saw his first significant action as backup and played in short-yardage scenarios that Prescott has run.
Mullen wasn’t as clear about Russell’s status, saying his senior quarterback was “day-to-day” for the Egg Bowl.
“Hopefully Tyler is OK to go again,” Mullen said. “If he’s not, we got Damian.”
MSU’s depth chart has Williams as the starter with Prescott as the backup and walk-on Sam Cowart as the third-string option.
“It’s been pretty interesting now for the last two weeks, (Williams) has had his number called in interesting times,” Mullen said. “His first play was at the minus-3 yard-line and his last play was in overtime and he didn’t get many in between. The week before he tries to lead a comeback against the No. 1 team in the country. As far as big situations, I guess we’ve thrown him in that fire the last couple of weeks. We’ll see how it goes.”
Follow Matt Stevens on Twitter @matthewcstevens.
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