Buckeyes Hawk finalist for the Lombardi Award
11/16/2005HOUSTON Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk is one of four finalists selected yesterday for the Lombardi Award.
The award, given annually to college football s top lineman or linebacker, will be presented Dec. 7 in Houston.
Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil, Texas defensive tackle Rod Wright, and Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny are the other finalists.
Hawk has five games with 10 or more tackles this season. He was a semifinalist for the award last season.
Dumervil leads the country with 20 sacks and set an NCAA record with 10 forced fumbles. He also broke the old Big East sacks record (17.5), and he needs just five more to break the NCAA record.
Wright has 38 tackles, including 12 for a loss, and 13 pressures for the second-ranked Longhorns.
Posluszny, a junior, has 106 tackles this season and is Penn State s first finalist since Lavar Arrington and Courtney Brown in 1999.