It could the first of many awards for Marcus Mariota.
Mariota was voted Oregon’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player (Skeie’s Award), while senior safety Erick Dargan was selected as the Ducks’ Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the school’s annual football reception Sunday at Autzen Stadium.
Senior wide receiver Keanon Lowe picked up the award for Most Inspirational Player (Wildford Gonyea Award).
Each year, the awards are voted on by the Oregon players, so the honors come from their teammates.
Lowe was also awarded the Todd Doxey Award, which is given to the student-athlete that best exemplifies traits of spirituality, dedication and brotherhood.
Mariota’s offensive MVP award is his third in a row. The honor places him in the Oregon record books as the first in school history to earn the award in three consecutive years.
Mariota — a finalist for the Maxwell Award (presented to the nation’s top collegiate football player) and Davey O’Brien Award (given to the nation’s best college quarterback) — has completed 229 of 334 passes for 3,470 yards and 36 touchdowns so far this season. He has accounted for 636 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
Dargan is the first defensive back in UO’s last 15 years to be awarded the Ducks’ most outstanding player award. He led Oregon in tackles in six games while leading the Pac-12 in interceptions with five.
Other award winners include:
Royce Freeman: Len Casanova Award, given to the Ducks’ first-year player who best exemplifies the athletic ideals and inspiration of the University’s former head coach and athletics director, Len Casanova
Kenny Bassett: Elmer Sahlstrom Award as the senior maintaining an outstanding academic record who has demonstrated an exemplary attitude and tremendous contributions.
Pharaoh Brown: Duane J. Cargill Memorial Award as Oregon’s outstanding offensive impact player as determined by the coaching staff
Joe Walker: Dudley Clarke Memorial Award as Oregon’s most improved player
Derrick Malone: Bob Officer Award, presented to the player who excels in spite of physical adversity
Tyrell Crosby: Pancake Club Award for “knocking down the most opposing defenders”
Hroniss Grasu: Ed Moshofsky Trophy (outstanding offensive lineman)
DeForest Buckner: Joe Schaffeld Trophy (top defensive lineman)
Charles Nelson: Gordon E. Wilson Award (outstanding special teams player)
Ayele Forde and Michael Manns: Oregon’s offensive and defensive Scout Team Players of the Year
respectively
Tony James: special teams Scout Team Player of the Year.
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne