Hubbard Named a Preseason Candidate for the Doak Walker Award
(This article was generated by Oklahoma State Athletics Media Relations)
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard has been named a preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced Wednesday.
Hubbard is one of 76 FBS players on the list of preseason candidates for the award, which is given annually to the nation’s top college running back. One of three finalists for the honor in 2019, Hubbard is joined on the list by four other Big 12 backs and 2018 finalist Travis Etienne of Clemson.
A Heisman candidate out of Canada, Hubbard adds the preseason recognition to his already long list of accolades. In addition to being named a Doak Walker Award finalist last season, he was also named a unanimous All-American, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. He also finished eighth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, which marks the third best finish for a Canadian player, and was named the Cornish Trophy winner, which is given to the best Canadian player in NCAA football.
The Sherwood Park, Alberta, native ended the 2019 season as the FBS leader in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, 200-yard rushing games and all-purpose yards per game. He ranked first among all players from Power Five conferences in rushing touchdowns and led the Big 12 in both points scored and total touchdowns.
Hubbard's season total of 2,094 rushing yards ranks 16th in FBS history and third in Big 12 Conference history. It marked the second-best single-season total in school history, trailing only Barry Sanders' 1988 Heisman season.
Additionally, Hubbard rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his last 11 games, which was the longest active streak in the nation, and led the country with 15 rushes of 30 yards or longer, nine rushes of 40 yards or longer, seven rushes of 50 yards or longer, five rushes of 60 yards or longer, three rushes of 70 yards or longer, two rushes of 80 yards or longer and one rush of 90 yards or longer.
Top performances from the 2019 season included the largest single-game rushing total for any Power Five Conference player all year with 296 yards against Kansas State, a 256 rushing yard day against Tulsa for the sixth-highest single-game output in the FBS this season and a 223 rushing yard day against TCU that marked the first time a running back has gone over 200 yards in a game against the Horned Frogs in Gary Patterson's 19 years as head coach.
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award in November, and three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will be announced in November. The committee will cast a second vote in December to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of past recipients, former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2020 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.
