NEW ORLEANS – Buffalo’s Cole Snyder, Ohio’s Kurtis Rourke and Toledo’s Dequan Finn represented the Mid-American Conference on the 2023 Manning Award Watch List, as announced by the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Tuesday afternoon.
The Manning Award, which is given annually to the top quarterback in collegiate football, was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates’ bowl performances in its balloting.
Snyder started all 13 games in 2022, finishing 271-for-461 for 3,030 yards and 18 touchdowns on the year. Additionally, Snyder rushed for 145 yards and four touchdowns.
Snyder became just the third Buffalo QB in program history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season.
During the 2022 season, Rourke went 244-for-353 on 3,256 passing yards, throwing 25 total touchdowns in 11 games. The quarterback made program history against Fordham (Sept. 24), going for 527 yards in the air, breaking a record that was set in 1983. He is also second in program history in passing yards in a season as well as passing touchdowns in a season.
Rourke's performance earned him numerous accolades, highlighted by being named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, earning the Vern Smith Leadership Award and getting named the 2022 Cornish Trophy runner-up as well as earning First Team All-MAC honors. He was named one of the Manning Award "Stars of the Week" twice, earned 2022 Phil Steele First Team Offense honors in addition to earning MAC Offensive Player of the Week three times. Off the field, he was named Academic All-MAC, 2022 Academic All-America® Second Team and earned MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honors once.
Finn was a second-team All-MAC selection in 2022. He ranked fourth in the MAC in passing efficiency (136.4) and fourth in total offense (240.9). Finn completed 59.7 percent of his passes for 2,269 yards and 23 TDs. He claimed Boca Raton Bowl Offensive MVP honors after throwing for 133 yards and a TD while adding 23 rushing yards and a TD. He also earned MAC Championship Game Offensive MVP accolades after throwing for 154 yards and a TD, while rushing for 86 yards. Finn was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for a school record-tying six touchdowns and rushing for one score vs. Kent State. The seven touchdowns accounted for against the Golden Flashes set new program record. He was second on the Rockets in rushing with 631 yards and team-best nine rushing TDs. The 631 rushing yards sits as a school record for a QB, besting the previous school season record of 564 set by Jim Kelso in 1981.
#MACtion on the 2023 Watch Lists
Maxwell Award Watch List
Alex Adams | WR | Akron
Marquez Cooper | RB | Ball State
Samson Evans | RB | Eastern Michigan
Kurtis Rourke | QB | Ohio
Dequan Finn | QB | Toledo
Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
Shaun Dolac | LB | Buffalo
Marcus Fuqua | S | Buffalo
Maxen Hook | S | Toledo
Donte Kent | CB | Central Michigan
Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo
Devonte O'Malley | DT | NIU
Outland Trophy Watch List
Ethan Crowe | C | Ball State
Nolan Potter | OT | NIU
Nick Rosi | OT | Toledo
Deiyantei Powell-Woods | G | Central Michigan
Daymond Williams | DT | Buffalo
Lou Groza Watch List
Alex McNulty | K | Buffalo
Jesús Gómez | K | Eastern Michigan
Ray Guy Watch List
Dom Dzioban | P | Miami
Lucas Borrow | P | Ball State
Mitchell Tomasek | P | Eastern Michigan
Wuerffel Award Watch List
Clayton Coll | LB | Ball State
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim | WR | BGSU
Austin Osborne | WR | BGSU
Brock Horne | LB | BGSU
Darren Anders | LB | BGSU
Demetrius Hardamon | LB | BGSU
Max Michel | DE | Buffalo
Robi Stuart | DL | Central Michigan
Brian Dooley | OL | Eastern Michigan
Dallas Gant | LB | Toledo
Boone Bonnema | LB | Western Michigan
Paul Hornung Award Watch List
Ron Cook Jr. | RB | Buffalo
Trayvon Rudolph | WR | Northern Illinois
Jacquez Stuart | RB | Toledo
The Rimington Trophy Watch List
Jacob Gideon | C | Western Michigan
Mackey Award Watch List
Brady Hunt | TE | Ball State
Biletnikoff Award Watch List
Alex Adams | WR | Akron
Jerjuan Newton | WR | Toledo
Sam Wiglusz | WR | Ohio
Davey O’Brien Watch List
Dequan Finn | QB | Toledo
Kurtis Rourke | QB | Ohio
Doak Walker Award Watch List
Sieh Bangura | RB | Ohio
Samson Evans | RB | Eastern Michigan
Antario Brown | RB | Northern Illinois
Butkus Award Watch List
Shaun Dolac | LB | Buffalo
Dallas Gant | LB | Toledo
Jim Thorpe Award Watch List
Marcus Fuqua | S | Buffalo
Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo
Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List
Samson Evans | RB | Eastern Michigan
Kurtis Rourke | QB | Ohio
Bednarik Award Watch List
Shaun Dolac | LB | Buffalo
Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo
Manning Award Watch List
Dequan Finn | QB | Toledo
Kurtis Rourke | QB | Ohio
Cole Snyder | QB | Buffalo
