Quarterback Brian Lewerke (14) walks onto the field before the game against Ohio State, on Nov. 11, 2017, at Ohio Stadium. The Spartans were defeated by the Buckeyes, 48-3.
The Maxwell Football Club announced its watch lists Monday for the 82nd Maxwell Award, given to the top player in the country at the end of the season, and the 24th Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the best defensive player at the end of the season.
And with the lists, three MSU football players were named: junior quarterback Brian Lewerke and senior running back LJ Scott on the Maxwell Award watch list and junior linebacker Joe Bachie on the Bednarik Award watch list.
Lewerke, who was an All-Big Ten honorable mention by coaches and the media in 2017, threw 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions for 2,793 yards with a 59 percent completion percentage.
The Phoenix native ran 124 times for 553 yards, making him the only quarterback in program history to pass for more than 2,500 yards and run for more than 500 yards in a single season. He's also the only quarterback in program history to throw for 400 or more yards in back-to-back games, with a school-record 445 yards at Northwestern on Oct. 28, 2017 and 400 vs. Penn State on Nov. 4, 2017.
Scott ran 201 times for 898 yards and eight touchdowns in 2017, and caught 20 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. He also was 11th in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards per game with 87 yards per game. The Ohio native earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention by coaches and the media.
Bachie had a team-high 100 tackles and two forced fumbles in 2017, along with being second in tackles for loss with 8.5 tackles and interceptions with three. He was named to the All-Big Ten third team by both coaches and the media and was voted team MVP by his teammates.
The semifinalists for the Maxwell Award and Bednarik Award will be announced on Oct. 29, with the three finalists for each award being announced on Nov. 19. The winner of each award will be announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 6.
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