July 14, 2016
DALLAS -
2016 SDSU FOOTBALL PRESEASON ACCOLADES
San Diego State senior Donnel Pumphrey (Las Vegas), the nation's active college leader in career rushing yards (4,272), rushing touchdowns (45), all-purpose yards (5,145) and 100-yard rushing games (22), has earned a spot on the watch list to honor the nation's top collegiate running back.
For the third consecutive season, Pumphrey is on the Doak Walker Award Watch List as announced today by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum. The semifinalists will be named on Nov. 16, with the list of finalist revealed Nov. 22 and the winner selected Dec. 8. The Aztec senior was previously placed on the Maxwell Award Watch List honoring the collegiate player of the year.
To date 16 San Diego State football student-athletes have earned preseason accolades and six players have been listed on a short list for a national honor.
Last year, Pumphrey rushed for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns on 309 attempts (5.3 avg.), while leading the team with 28 catches for 416 yards and three touchdowns en route to being named a Sports Illustrated Honorable-Mention All-American, the MW Offensive Player of the Year and an all-MW first-team selection for a second straight season. He was one of just four players in all of FBS to lead his team in rushing yards and receptions.
He enters his senior campaign needing just 318 yards to break NFL Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk's school record for career rushing yards. Pumphrey is also in position to surpass the three-time All-American's records for all-purpose yardage (451 yards needed to break), touchdowns (13), rushing touchdowns (13) and 100-yard rushing games (2).
San Diego State is coming off an 11-3 season where it tied a school record for the most wins in a single year, finished with a 10-game winning streak (second-longest active FBS streak heading into 2016), won the MW title (20th conference title in program history) and beat Cincinnati, 42-7, in the Hawai'i Bowl.
SDSU season tickets are now available, while single-game tickets for all six San Diego State home games go on sale Monday (July 18) at 9 a.m. PT. Both season tickets and single-game tickets can be purchased through GoAztecs.com, over the phone by calling (619) 283-7378, or by visiting Qualcomm Stadium's Window E between 9 a.m. PT and 5 p.m. PT. Fans who purchase a season ticket will receive a free Donnel Pumphrey bobblehead.
Doak Walker Award Watch List (top running back)
RB Donnel Pumphrey, Sr.