Auburn's Newton, Fairley named semifinalists for prestigious awards

Junior quarterback Cam Newton and junior defensive tackle Nick Fairley have been named semifinalists for a pair of prestigious awards presented by the Maxwell Football Club, the club announced Monday. Newton has been named one of 16 semifinalists for the 74th Maxwell Award for the College Player of the Year, while Fairley is one of 16 candidates for the 16th Chuck Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year. Newton leads all Football Bowl Subdivision players this season with 35 touchdowns scored or passed for, smashing the previous Auburn single-season record of 26 set by Pat Sullivan in 1970. He has accounted for more touchdowns than 71 entire FBS teams this season.
Fairley leads the SEC with 18.0 tackles for loss this season, which is third most in the nation, and tied for fourth most in a single season in Auburn history since tackles for loss began being charted in 1981. Fairley, who ranks second in the SEC in sacks with 7.5, had at least one tackle for loss in every game this season until playing limited snaps against Chattanooga last Saturday. He has had four games in which he recorded at least 2.5 tackles for loss.

Fairley has been named the SEC's Defensive Player of the Week once and the league's Defensive Lineman of the Week on three other occasions, making him the first defensive player in Auburn history to earn four SEC weekly awards in one season.