Quarterback Brett Hundley named a Maxwell Award semifinalist

UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley hasn’t had the dominant season many expected him, but he’s still regarded as one of the best players in college football.

The redshirt junior was named today as one of 20 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, arguably the sport’s most prestigious honor not involving a stiff-arming statuette. Only two other players were picked from the Pac-12: Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, now regarded as the Heisman frontrunner, and USC running back Buck Allen.

Hundley is second in the country in completion percentage (71.0) but has only thrown for 389 yards and two touchdowns in his last two outings — games in which he faced passing defenses ranked 90th (Colorado) and 121st (Arizona) nationally. He has also lost a fumble in four straight games.

After UCLA’s 17-7 win over the Wildcats on Saturday, Hundley said that NFL draft expectations had affected his playing style earlier this season, making him more reluctant to run.