Football | 7/14/2016 10:03:00 AM

DALLAS – Georgia Southern senior running back Matt Breida has been named a candidate for the 2016 Doak Walker Award, it was announced today by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum. The award is given to the nation's best running back, and Alabama's Derrick Henry won it in 2015. Breida was a semifinalist for the award in 2014 and was a nominee for the award last year.

Breida led both the nation and Sun Belt in rushing yards per carry at 7.9 yards last year and led the nation in 2013 as well. A First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection for the second year in a row, he led the Eagles with 1,608 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. The Brooksville, Florida, native had seven 100-yard rushing games and has already been named to the Maxwell Award Watch List earlier this summer. 
 
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists on Nov. 16, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the three finalists, who will be announced on Nov. 22. The committee will cast a second vote beginning Nov. 28 to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of past recipients, former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media
members and selected special representatives.

The recipient of the 2016 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 8, on ESPN. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held in Dallas in early 2017.

The award, which will name its 27th recipient in 2016, is named for SMU's three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.

Football season tickets and parking for the 2016 season are on sale and can be purchased by visiting GSEagles.com/tickets, calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or visiting the Ticket Office Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Cowart Building located at 203 Lanier Drive in Statesboro. Tickets start as low as $75 per person for the season.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com/tickets.