Cowboys chasing national awards

By Scott Wright

Matt Fodge has been to Orlando before. Went to Disney World a couple times.

But I’d be willing to bet his next trip will be more enjoyable than meeting Mickey.

He’ll be in Orlando for the ESPNU College Football Awards show next month, where he is one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award. And the OSU senior has a pretty good chance to win it, too. Statistically, he’s equal to or ahead of his competition, West Virginia’s Pat McAfee and Utah’s Louie Sakoda.

Particularly, Fodge is second nationally — and ahead of both of his competitors — in net punting, which Fodge says is one of the most important statistics to a punter.

“I wouldn’t even be considered for this award if it wasn’t for (my teammates) getting down there and covering the ball,” he said. “All the credit is to them.

“I’m not gonna say I’m real worried about winning. I’m going to enjoy the whole experience. It’s been a goal of mine since I’ve been here to get to that point. It’s just such a big honor to be considered among the top three in the nation.”

He’ll be there with two teammates. Receiver Dez Bryant is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, though it will be hard to unseat incumbent Michael Crabtree. And tight end Brandon Pettigrew is up for the Mackey Award, though the three games he missed earlier in the season hurt his numbers and his chances of winning. But just making the final three despite missing nearly a month of the season is a sign of how good the country thinks he is.