May 1, 2009

RUSTON--Louisiana Tech wide receiver and return specialist Phillip Livas has been listed as a preseason favorite for the 2009 College Football Performance Awards kick returner and punt returner of the year.

The goal of the College Football Performance Awards is to provide the most scientifically rigorous conferments in college football. CFPA recipients are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams.

Prominent sports ethicist and former football coach Gordon Marino writes, "Brad Smith's (CFPA) system endeavors to level the playing field for evaluating gridiron performance and as such may transform the individual trophy quest from a PR battle to the legitimate question of which athletes did the most for their teams- BCS or not."

Livas was the only player listed as a favorite for both the Punt Returner Trophy and Kick Returner Trophy. The Houma, La. native returned 32 kickoffs for 826 yards and one for a score last season for an average of 25.8 yards per kick return which ranked him 25th in the nation while returning 16 punts for 245 yards and two scores for a 15.3 yards per punt return average, ranking him seventh in the nation.

A list of all other preseason College Football Performance Award favorites can be found at http://www.collegefootballperformance.com/2009trophyfavorites.html