Forte on Doak Walker list

Tulane University football standout Matt Forte was recognized as one Conference USA's premier players as the senior from Slidell, La., was named to the 2007 Doak Walker Award Watch List.

The Doak Walker Award is presented annually to the top running back among NCAA Division I-A teams, and Forte becomes the second Tulane player to be named to the watch list in the last five years, joining 2003 honoree and current Minnesota Viking running back Mewelde Moore.

Forte flew well below the radar in high school as he had a solid career for Coach Wayne Grubb and the Slidell Tigers and was MVP District 6-5A and was an all-state player as well.

Forte has run for 2,138 yards and 16 touchdowns while hauling in 71 passes for 703 yards and an additional five scores. Entering his senior season in 2007, Forte already ranks seventh all-time in the Tulane career record books in rushing yards and is just 15 yards behind Marvin Christian (1977-79) for sixth place in team history.

Forte have averaged 69-yards per game average ranks him fifth in Tulane history and he enters his senior season sixth in career 100-yard games with six and is eighth in yards per carry (4.5) and 10th in rushing touchdowns.

Last season Forte put together a string of four consecutive games with 100 or more yards rushing with 178 against Rice (Oct. 7), 147 at UTEP (Oct. 14), 117 at No. 8 Auburn (Oct. 21) and 124 vs. Army (Oct. 8) before suffering a knee injury in the third quarter of the team's ninth competition of the season.

The Walker Award winner will be announced live on ESPN along with other NCFAA member awards on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 6.