Award is the only major college football honor determined exclusively by
fan voting
ATLANTA, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The games have been played, four
nominees have been announced, and the power now rests solely in the hands
of the fans to determine a winner for the week twelve Cingular All-America
Player of the Week.
Boston College linebacker Jolonn Dunbar, Arizona running back Chris
Henry, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and West Virginia quarterback Pat
White have been selected by a panel of ESPN college football analysts as
this week's top candidates based on their outstanding performances this
weekend.
Fans can determine the winner by text messaging "VOTE" to "87654" on
their wireless phone and casting their votes for the nominees.
Dunbar returned two fumbles for touchdowns during the first four
minutes of 20th-ranked Boston College's 38-16 win over No. 21 Maryland. The
victory helped keep the Eagles in contention for a spot in the ACC
Championship game. Dunbar also had a 96-yard fumble return for a touchdown
in the Eagles' win over the Terrapins last season, the longest in school
history.
Henry rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns and also caught a
touchdown pass in the Wildcats' 37-10 upset of Oregon at Autzen Stadium.
The victory is the third straight for Arizona and makes them bowl eligible.
Henry is the first Wildcats player to be nominated for the award.
Smith threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns as the Buckeyes clinched
the Big Ten title -- and a berth in the BCS National Championship game --
with a 42-39 win over No. 2 Michigan. Smith capped an impressive regular
season during which he threw for 2,507 yards and 30 touchdowns passes and
compiled a quarterback rating of 168.
White totaled 424 yards -- 204 through the air and 220 on the ground --
in No. 8 West Virginia's 45-27 rout of Pittsburgh on Thursday. White also
accounted for four touchdowns, including a scoring runs of 64 and 19 yards
during the Mountaineers' first two possessions in the second half to ice
the game. For the season he has passed for 1,346 yards and rushed for 1,057
yards.
Fans have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday to submit their
votes. The winner will be announced November 23 during ESPN's Thursday
night college football game between Boston College and Miami (FL). Fans can
vote as many times as they like, with each vote counting as one entry into
a sweepstakes to win a trip to the 2007 BCS National Championship game. The
Cingular All-America Player of the Week program will continue throughout
the season, with the nominees being revealed each Sunday on the 9 a.m. ESPN
SportsCenter and on the Web at http://www.espnallamerica.com.
Cingular customers can visit Cingular's NCAA(R) Football Portal on
their wireless handset to view video highlights of each week's candidates,
retrieve photos, check scoreboards, track their favorite teams and download
school ringtones.
Rutgers running back Ray Rice, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn,
Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham, Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin
Johnson, Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy,
BYU quarterback John Beck, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Kansas
State quarterback Josh Freeman have won the Cingular All-America Player of
the Week during the 2006 college football season.
In December, four finalists for the Cingular All-America Player of the
Year award will be announced during a one-hour special on ABC Sports. Fans
will then get a chance to say who the best player in the nation is by
voting for the Cingular All-America Player of the Year up until the Bowl
Championship Series. The selection process will culminate during the BCS
National Championship game on FOX when the Cingular All-America Player of
the Year will be presented.
Last year, University of Texas quarterback Vince Young was crowned as
the Cingular All-America Player of the Year, beating out USC teammates
Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart and University of Notre Dame quarterback Brady
Quinn. He was the second Longhorn to claim the award, after running back
Cedric Benson won the inaugural honor in 2004.
ABOUT CINGULAR WIRELESS
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(NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital
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largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier.
Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G
network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA
(High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S.
wireless carrier to offer Rollover(r), the wireless plan that lets
customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are
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SOURCE Cingular Wireless
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CONTACT:
Chris Capo, Cingular Wireless, +404-314-1635,
ccapo@careersportsentertainment.com, or Clay Owen, Career Sports
& Entertainment, +1-404-236-6153, clay.owen@cingular.com
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