UConn junior tailback Lyle McCombs was named to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award.

McCombs ran 860 yards and six touchdown during the 2012 season and his three 100-yard rushing efforts included a season-high 133 yards in an upset of Louisville. McCombs also caught 24 passes for 230 yards as a sophomore as he was one of 63 players named as candidates for the award, presented annually to the nation's top running back.

McCombs, a 5-foot-8 169-pound redshirt junior from Staten Island, N.Y., burst onto the scene as a freshman when he recorded six 100-yard games in the first nine contests of the 2011 season. He ran for 1,151 yards and seven touchdowns. He is one of nine UConn players to record more than 2,000 rushing yards and needs 505 yards to break into the top five.

The Doak Walker Award semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 25 and the winner will be revealed on Dec. 12.