Decker, Elflein, Washington on Outland Trophy Watch List – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 10, 2015
| Seniors Taylor Decker (Left), Adolphus Washington (right), and Junior Pat Elflein were named to the 2015 Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List Friday morning. |
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three Buckeyes – senior OT Taylor Decker, junior OG Pat Elflein and senior DL Adolphus Washington – have been named to the 2015 Outland Trophy preseason watch list, announced Friday by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). The award is presented annually to the best interior lineman in college football.
Decker started all 15 games at left tackle and earned second-team All-Big Ten Conference honors by both the coaches and the media voters. Decker logged 1,034 offensive plays, including a personal best 107 vs. Cincinnati and 85 against Oregon in the national championship game.
Elflein also started all 15 games last season. He opened the season at left guard and started the first three games there, but moved to right guard for the final 12. Elflein was named first-team All-Big Ten Conference by the league’s coaches for his efforts.
Decker and Elflein helped pave the way for Ohio State rushers to gain 3,967 yards on the ground – the second-highest total in school history – and rank eighth nationally with over 264 yards per game. The 2014 Buckeye offense also set school records for touchdowns (90), points scored (637), passing yards (3,707) and passing touchdowns (42). They also helped paved the way for Ezekiel Elliott to become the first running back in school history to rush for 200 yards in consecutive games.
Washington started 14 games last season, recording season and game career highs in virtually every defensive category, with 48 total tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss (42 yards) and 4.5 quarterback sacks. He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference for his efforts. He had a career high eight-tackle game vs. Minnesota, a game he also recorded a personal-best six solo tackles, and registered quarterback sacks against Navy, Penn State, Minnesota, Michigan and in the national title game vs. Oregon. He opened the season with a personal-best two TFLs vs. Navy.
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three finalists who are a part of the FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects the 26-man first team and eventually the three Outland finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award; ends are not eligible.
The list will be trimmed to six or seven semifinalists on Nov. 19. Five days later three Outland Trophy finalists will be named by the FWAA. The winner of the 70th Outland Trophy, named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn at the turn of the 20th century, will be announced on ESPN on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 10 for the first time from the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
