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Coker Claims Sanford Award
Alabama Quarterback Jake Coker earned the 80th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic’s J. Curtis Sanford Offensive MVP Award, after leading the No. 2 Crimson Tide into the College Football Playoff National Championship Game with a 38-0 victory over No. 3 Michigan State.
Coker threw for a career-high 286 yards in a clinic of quarterback efficiency. The senior from Mobile, Ala., completed 25-of-30 attempts with two touchdowns and no turnovers. Coker’s College Football Playoff Semifinal performance set his career highs in completions, passing yards and efficiency. His .833 completion percentage was the highest ever with a minimum of 13 pass attempts in Goodyear Cotton Bowl history.
Two 50-yard pass completions from Coker to freshman wide receiver Calvin Ridley helped determined the game’s outcome. The first set up a one-yard touchdown run by Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry to give Alabama a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter. With 2:20 remaining in the third quarter, Coker’s second 50-yard pass completion to Ridley produced a one-play touchdown drive and a commanding 31-0 lead for Alabama. Coker also connected with Ridley on a 6-yard touchdown pass to cap a 75-yard drive to start the second half.
Coker joined Brodie Croyle (2006) as the only Alabama quarterbacks to capture the Sanford Offensive MVP award.
The Sanford MVP Trophy is named in memory of Goodyear Cotton Bowl Founder J. Curtis Sanford, who was inducted into the inaugural class of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 1998.
