:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/35688796/20131226_jla_aw3_241.0.jpg)
Davey O'Brien Award is given out after the season is over to recognize the nation's best quarterback. Last year's winner was Florida State's Jameis Winston, who would also go on to win the Heisman trophy as a freshman.
The watch list for this award was released this earlier today, including 39 players from ten different conferences and three from Independent schools. Bowling Green's Matt Johnson is the only one from on that list that represents a Mid-American Conference school.
2013 stats compared to other MAC quarterbacks:
| Name (School) | Comp. | Att | % | Yds | Yds/A | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Johnson (BGSU) | 237 | 369 | 64.2 | 3,467 | 9.4 | 25 | 7 | 161.7 |
| K. Wenning (Ball St) | 319 | 498 | 64.1 | 4,148 | 8.3 | 35 | 7 | 154.4 |
| T. Tettleton (Ohio) | 230 | 371 | 62.0 | 2,851 | 7.7 | 21 | 12 | 138.8 |
| J. Lynch (NIU) | 253 | 404 | 62.6 | 2,892 | 7.2 | 24 | 8 | 138.4 |
| J. Licata (Buffalo) | 233 | 402 | 58.0 | 2,824 | 7.0 | 24 | 8 | 132.7 |
Stats courtesy of ESPN
Besides Johnson, Licata is the only one in the table above that is returning to his team.
Last year, Johnson played in all 14 games, starting in all except for the season opener. In his third start of the season against Murray State, Johnson went 19-for-22 for 244 yards with two touchdowns to help the Falcons win 48-7, earning MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors. But his most memorable performance last year was against Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship game, where he had a 77.8 completion percentage for 393 yards and five touchdowns. In the Little Caesars Bowl against Pittsburgh, he was 20-for-32 for 272 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the 3-point loss.