Smith Tops Fan Voting for the First Time
ATLANTA, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith led
the top-ranked Buckeyes to a 42-39 win over No. 2 Michigan last weekend,
and fans have rewarded him for his performance. Smith has been selected as
the week twelve Cingular All-America Player of the Week, the only major
college football award chosen exclusively by college football fans.
Smith completed 29 of 41 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns as
the Buckeyes clinched the Big Ten title and a berth in the BCS National
Championship game. 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.
Smith received 73% of the votes to claim the award over West Virginia
quarterback Pat White (16%), Boston College linebacker Jolonn Dunbar (8%)
and Arizona running back Chris Henry (3%).Each player was nominated for
this week's award by a panel of ESPN college football analysts based on
their outstanding performances last weekend.
The Cingular All America Player of the Week winner's list in 2006
includes 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,
Brigham Young quarterback John Beck, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden
and Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman.
Fans can register to vote for the Cingular All-America Player of the
Week throughout the season by text messaging "VOTE" to "87654" on their
wireless phone, with the nominees being revealed each Sunday on the 9 a.m.
ESPN SportsCenter and on the Web at http://www.espnallamerica.com. Fans have until
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the following Wednesday to submit their votes.
The winner will then be announced during ESPN's Thursday night college
football game. 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.
Cingular customers can visit Cingular's NCAA(R) Football page on
MEdiaNet 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.
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, Texas quarterback Vince Young was crowned as the Cingular
All- America Player of the Year, beating out Southern California teammates
Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart and Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. Young
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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serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc.
(NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital
voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the
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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Related links:
http://www.cingular.com
http://cingular.mediaroom.com
http://www.espnallamerica.com
CONTACT:
Chris Capo, of Career Sports & Entertainment,
+1-404-314-1635, or ccapo@careersportsentertainment.com, Clay
Owen, of Cingular Wireless, +1-404-236-6153, or
clay.owen@cingular.com
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