HOUSTON – Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga is one of 12 semifinalists for the prestigious Lombardi Award, the Rotary Club of Houston announced on Wednesday.
The honor is given annually to the college football offensive or defensive lineman, tight end or linebacker based on the discipline and character of former NFL head coach Vince Lombardi in addition to performance and ability on the field.
To be eligible for the honor, student-athletes must be an offensive or defensive lineman, a tight end or a linebacker who lines up no further than 5 yards from the line of scrimmage.
The honor continues a trend of recognition for Fuaga, who was selected to the midseason All-American Teams by The Athletic, ESPN, CBS Sports, the Associated Press, 247 Sports and Pro Football Focus. In addition, he’s also been on the watch lists for the Outland Trophy and the Polynesian Player of the Year.
The honors are for good reason. He’s been consistently ranked as one of the top offensive linemen in the nation – currently No. 2 – by Pro Football Focus. He heads into Saturday’s game with Colorado ranked as the No. 1 run blocker in the nation.
Semifinalists for the honor will be announced on Nov. 15.
Oregon State heads to Boulder this week to take on Colorado at Folsom Field. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. PT (8 p.m. in Boulder) and the game will air live on ESPN.
Tickets for the Beavers’ next home matchup with the Stanford Cardinal on Nov. 11 can be purchased here.
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