McGee nominated for Broyles Award

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee has been nominated for the Broyles Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top assistant coach.

McGee coordinates a Razorback offense that leads the SEC and ranks third in the NCAA with 340.1 passing yards per game and also ranks second in the conference and eighth in the national with 491.5 total yards per contest.

Arkansas is the only team in the country with a 3,000-yard passer (Ryan Mallett), a 1,000-yard rusher (Knile Davis) and four 500-yard receivers (Joe Adams, Greg Childs, D.J. Williams, Jarius Wright). UA is the only school in the SEC to have a 400-yard passing game this season, something the Razorbacks have done three times. Arkansas has scored 31 passing touchdowns to lead the SEC and rank fourth in the country, and the team’s 54 total touchdowns are second in the conference and tied for 13th in the NCAA. The Razorbacks have scored on 93.0 percent of their Critical Zone trips in 2010, the best percentage in the SEC and tied for the third-highest percentage in the nation.

Mallett leads the SEC and ranks fifth in the NCAA with 297.5 passing yards per game, and his 27 passing touchdowns lead the SEC and are tied for fifth in the NCAA. Mallett’s 168.61 passer efficiency rating is second in the conference and third in the nation, while his .672 completion percentage is fourth in the SEC and 11th in the NCAA.

Davis is just the 10th Razorback to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. He currently leads the SEC’s top-10 rushers with an average of 7.0 yards per carry that also places him fifth in the NCAA among rushers with at least 100 carries. Davis’ 93.7 yards-per-game average is third in the SEC, as is his 97.3 average in SEC play. He has posted a career-high rushing total in six games this season, most recently with a 187-yard effort at Mississippi State.

Tight end D.J. Williams is the first Mackey Award finalist in program history and leads all active NCAA tight ends with 144 receptions and 1,719 receiving yards in his career. This season, his 4.2 receptions-per-game average ranks fifth in the SEC. Arkansas has had a 100-yard receiver in seven of 11 games this season, courtesy of four different receivers. The Razorbacks also have had four different receivers record multiple touchdown games, the only school in the SEC to have that many.

The five finalists for the award will be announced Monday, with the winner set to be announced Dec. 6 at 11:30 a.m. at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock. The Broyles Award is presented by the Rotary Club of Little Rock.