Bryant McKinnie Is Outland Trophy Finalist
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Nov. 27, 2001
DALLAS – Miami’s Bryant McKinnie, Nebraska’s Toniu Fonoti and 2000 Outland Trophy winner John Henderson of Tennessee were named finalists for the 2001 Outland Trophy on Tuesday.
The winner of the Outland Trophy, which honors the best interior lineman in college football, will be announced on Dec. 6 on the ESPN College Football Awards Show from Orlando, Fla., which airs from 9-11 p.m. Eastern Time. The winner of the Outland Trophy is chosen by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) All-America committee.
McKinnie, a 6-foot-9, 336-pound senior offensive right tackle, dominated Syracuse’s All-America defensive end Dwight Freeney in Miami’s 59-0 victory over Syracuse. McKinnie held Freeney without a sack in 52 plays. McKinnie’s performance set the pace for an offense that rushed for a season-best 331 yards and accumulated 566 yards against the Orangemen. McKinnie has never allowed a sack in his college career and keys an offense that averages 5.5 yards per rushing attempt.
Henderson, a 6-foot-7, 290-pound senior defensive tackle, will seek to become only the second player in the 56-year history of the award to repeat as the Outland Trophy winner. Nebraska center Dave Rimington repeated as the Outland Trophy winner in 1982 after winning it in 1981. Henderson is one of the stalwarts for Tennessee’s Top 10-ranked defense against the rush. He registered the 20th sack of his career this season against Kentucky. He had to sit out the Arkansas game early in the season with a high ankle sprain, but returned to post nine tackles against Alabama and eight against Georgia. He has recovered two fumbles this season.
Fonoti, a 6-foot-4, 340-pound offensive left guard, already has set Nebraska’s single-season record with 182 pancakes (16.5 ppg) in 11 games entering last Friday’s showdown versus Colorado. Fonoti, a junior, helped Nebraska average a nation’s leading 311.1 rushing yards per game and set the Cornhuskers’ single-game pancake record with 32 against Texas Tech on Oct.20. With a big bowl game, Fonoti could break the career record of 377 pancakes set by 1997 Outland Trophy winner Aaron Taylor.
