Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty became the first winner of the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award on Friday night. The award, presented by the Tyler Chamber of Commerce and SPORTyler, is given to the top offensive player in Division 1 football born in Texas or graduated from a Texas-based college. The award was announced
Petty was a large factor in Baylor’s success in the 2013 season, guiding the high-scoring offense to the first Big 12 championship in program history with a regular season finale victory over Texas to earn a spot in the Fiesta Bowl. Petty had been in the running for a Heisman Trophy finalist invite, but a late loss to Oklahoma State derailed that hope. Still, Petty completed the season with 323.1 passing yards per game and 32 touchdowns after completing 62.0 percent of his pass attempts. He was intercepted just three times in the season, and he led the nation with 16.8 yards per completion.
Petty also took home Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors from a number of outlets and was a unanimous selection for First Team All Big 12.
Petty beat out a number of worthy candidates for the award, including Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and wide receiver Mike Evans. Missouri quarterback James Franklin and Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro were also finalists for the inaugural award.
