Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

Oklahoma linebacker Rufus Alexander is on the initial watch list for the 37th Rotary Lombardi Award.

The Lombardi Award will be presented on December 6 at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston. A.J. Hawk of Ohio State won the award last year.

The 44 preliminary candidates earned a place on the initial Watch List by earning All-American honors at the end of the 2005 or previous seasons, or by being named to their respective All Conference team as selected by the conference's head coaches.

The Watch List will be updated prior to the start of the 2006 season, in order to identify those players who have been selected as pre-season honors candidates.

Last season, Alexander posted 102 tackles while starting all 12 games. He registered six double-digit tackle games, including a career-high 13 at Nebraska.

Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen and those defensive players who line up within five yards of the football.