Nevada sophomore Carson Strong and senior Lawson Hall received honors from the College Football Performance Awards and Wuerffel Trophy, respectively, Tuesday morning.
Strong was added to the CFPA’s November watch list for the National Performer of the Year Trophy. The list includes 38 players from the Football Bowl Subdivision. The 2020 CFPA National Performer of the Year will be announced Jan. 14, 2021. Hall, who was named to the Wuerffel Trophy watch list in July, is one of 97 players from around the country to be named an official nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy. The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," exists to honor college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society, and inspire greater service in the world.
Strong produced another huge performance on Saturday as he racked up 411 passing yards, three touchdowns and completed 69.2 percent (36-of-52) of his passes to help lead Nevada to its third straight win. All three of Strong’s touchdown passes came in the first half and all were to junior wide receiver Romeo Doubs, putting Nevada up 21-9 at halftime. Strong also extended his streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception to 282, which leads the nation and ranks second all-time in Mountain West history, trailing only Derek Carr’s conference record of 306 set in 2013. He has thrown for 350 yards or more in five consecutive games, including three games of over 400 yards. Through three games in 2020, Strong is averaging 393.7 passing yards per game, which leads the MW and is second nationally.
Over the last few years Hall, who was named a team captain prior to the start of the season, has been very active with community service. He has served as a mentor for young athletes in Los Angeles, providing them with knowledge, resources and advice on how to become a better student-athlete. He has also worked with kids in Reno, spending time at the Boys & Girls Club and local grade schools to read and interact with them, and to provide them with a positive figure to look up to. Hall has helped package meals for families in need in both Los Angeles and in Boise, Idaho prior to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl early in 2020. Additionally, Hall has been an active part of the Black Lives Matter movement, helping to organize a team unity video on the subject in June, which led to him being invited to join a conference call with U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. On the call, Hall discussed racial injustice and provided recommendations to Senator Cortez Masto on what the federal government can do to implement systematic change.
Up next for Nevada, the Wolf Pack will travel to Las Vegas this Saturday, Nov. 14 for a neutral site showdown against New Mexico at 3:30 p.m. at Sam Boyd Stadium.
(University of Nevada)
