NEW ORLEANS (September 23, 2024) – The
Manning Award, sponsored by the
Allstate Sugar Bowl, has named eight quarterbacks as its "
Stars of the Week." College football fans can follow the Manning Award on social media (@ManningAward) to vote for what they think was the best performance from this past weekend. After voting closes on Wednesday at 9 a.m. (Central), the top vote-getter will be announced as the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week.
The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2004 to honor 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. Since the Manning Award started recognizing Stars of the Week in 2011, 538 different quarterbacks from 133 schools have been recognized. Sixty-six players were honored during the 2023 season.
This week's eight Manning Award Stars of the Week are:
Luke Altmyer, Illinois (21-of-27, 236 total yards, 4 TDs, QBR: 83.9)
Altmyer, who tallied his second four-touchdown game of the season, delivered his final TD of the night in overtime to lift the Fighting Illini to a 31-24 road victory over No. 22 Nebraska in Big Ten action as Illinois improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2011.
Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (22-of-34, 487 total yards, 7 TDs, QBR: 95.5)
Barnett, who passed for 388 yards and five touchdowns while running for 99 yards and two more scores, led the Dukes to the most points ever scored against North Carolina in a 70-50 road victory over the Tar Heels.
Garrett Greene, West Virginia (15-of-30, 382 total yards, 3 TDs, 2 INT, QBR: 78.8)
Greene delivered a pair of touchdown passes in the final 3:27, including the 15-yard game-winner with 26 seconds to go as the Mountaineers came from behind to shock Kansas, 32-28, in Big 12 action.
Blake Horvath, Navy (9-of-12, 403 total yards, 6 TDs, 0 INT, QBR: 99.8)
Horvath, who throws for 192 yards and two touchdowns and runs for 211 yards (17.6 yards per carry) and four more scores, tallies the third most yards of offense in school history as he leads Navy to a 56-44 AAC win over previously undefeated Memphis.
Graham Mertz, Florida (19-of-21, 225 total yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT, QBR: 95.1)
Mertz delivered three first-half touchdowns through the air and then added a third-quarter rushing touchdown as the Gators picked up an SEC road victory, 45-28, over Mississippi State.
John Mateer, Washington State (26-of-46, 501 total yards, 5 TDs, 2 INT, QBR: 78.3)
Mateer, who posted the most yards of total offense by an FBS player so far this season, led the Cougars to 22 fourth-quarter points, including delivering a pair of touchdown passes, to erase a 14-point deficit to force overtime where he scored what proved to be the winning two-point conversion in a wild 54-52 victory over San Jose State.
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (25-of-41, 367 total yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, QBR: 64.6)
Sanders scrambled to his left and threw a 43-yard pass to the end zone for the game-tying touchdown with 0:00 on the clock and the Buffaloes went on to defeat Baylor, 38-31, in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
Evan Simon, Temple (17-of-27, 320 total yards, 6 TDs, 0 INT, QBR: 81.1)
Simon, who connected on a career-best five touchdown passes while also running for a score, led the Owls to 28 second-half points in a 45-29 home victory over Utah State.
While the Manning Award selected 29 quarterbacks for its preseason
Watch List, additional quarterbacks are expected to be added to the Watch List later in the season. Finalists will be selected in early December and the winner is scheduled to be announced following the College Football Playoff National Championship.
In its first 20 years, the Manning Award has recognized the top names in college football. It has honored quarterbacks from 14 different schools and from four different conferences. The Southeastern Conference (Jayden Daniels, Stetson Bennett, Bryce Young, Joe Burrow, Mac Jones, Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton, JaMarcus Russell and Tim Tebow) leads the way with nine Manning Award honorees, while the Big 12 Conference (Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Vince Young, Colt McCoy and Robert Griffin III) has had five winners. The Atlantic Coast Conference (Deshaun Watson twice, Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston) has had four Manning Award winners. LSU (Daniels, Burrow, and Russell) now leads the way with three honorees, while Alabama (Bryce Young and Jones), Oklahoma (Murray and Mayfield), and Texas (McCoy and Vince Young) have each produced a pair of Manning Award winners.
All the Manning Award winners follow in the footsteps of the Mannings themselves. In college, Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning combined for over 25,000 passing yards and 201 touchdowns while playing in 10 bowl games and earning four bowl MVP awards. Archie was the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, while both Peyton and Eli were selected No. 1 overall.
