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  Riley Ferguson was one of 30 quarterbacks named to the Manning Award watch list.   Ferguson is also a candidate on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm watch list, the Davey O’Brien watch list and the Maxwell Award watch list.

 

Preparing for his second season at Memphis, Ferguson is coming off a season that saw him pass for 3,698 yards and a school-record 32 touchdowns in 2016. He ranked second in the American Athletic Conference with 284.5 yards passing per game and a 152.7 passer efficiency rating. His 3,698 passing yards rank second only to 2016 NFL First Round draft pick Paxton Lynch in the Memphis record book.

 

A native of Matthews, N.C., Ferguson was 280-of-443 passing last season, posting seven 300-plus yard passing performances and becoming just the third quarterback in school history to pass for over 400 yards in a game. His 400-yard game came in a regular-season finale win over No. 18/21 Houston, where he finished with 406 passing yards on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining to seal a 48-44 victory.

 

After only one season, Ferguson’s name is already on several Memphis career charts. He enters 2017 sixth in completions, eighth in attempts, seventh in yards, fourth in touchdowns and fourth in 300-yard passing games.

 

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates’ bowl performances in its balloting, which includes a panel of national media and each of the Mannings.

 

The Tigers open their 2017 season Thursday, August 31 @ 8 pm hosting UL Monroe. CLICK HERE for tickets