Brignone named to Rimington Watch List

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State senior offensive lineman J.C. Brignone was named to the 2010 Watch List for the Rimington Trophy, awarded annually to the best center in the nation.

Brignone, a native of Pass Christian, Miss., has played in 35 of a possible 37 games during his Mississippi State career on the offensive line, starting 24 times. Last season, he started all 12 games at center for an offensive line that paved the way for the Southeastern Conference's leading rushing attack. The 227.6 yards per game average also ranked ninth nationally, and the Bulldog offense finished the season with three 300-yard rushing games in its final four contests.

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $1.8 million for its benefactor, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The eleven-year old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised over $80 million for CF Research.

Dave Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman. For more on the Rimington Trophy and a list of past recipients, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com.