Mon Nov 26 17:55:31 2007

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Foster, Johnson, Sanders named finalists for Payton Award

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Philadelphia (Sports Network) - Three quarterbacks were named as the finalists for the 2007 Walter Payton Award, the Sports Network announced on Monday.

Georgia Southern's Jayson Foster, San Diego's Josh Johnson and Eric Sanders of Northern Iowa are the three finalists. The Payton Award winner will be announced Dec. 13 at the Chattanooga Marriott during the annual Sports Network awards dinner.

The Buck Buchanan Award, bestowed upon the best defensive player in FCS, and Eddie Robinson Award, for the best coach in the sub-classification, along with the Sports Network Cup, for the top Mid-Major team will also be handed out that night.

2006 Payton Award winner Ricky Santos of New Hampshire finished fifth in the 2007 balloting, which included votes from a national panel of FCS sports information directors and selected FCS media from around the country.

Delaware running back Omar Cuff was fourth in the balloting, and Southern Illinois quarterback Nick Hill placed sixth. Completing the top 10 were running back Tim Hightower of Richmond (seventh), North Dakota State running back Tyler Roehl (eighth), Yale running back Mike McLeod (ninth), Appalachian State running back Kevin Richardson (10th).

Here, in alphabetical order, are biographies for the three Payton Award finalists.

Jayson Foster, Georgia Southern, Quarterback, 5-9, 164, Senior, Canton, Ga.

Foster set an all-division NCAA record for quarterbacks this season with 1,844 yards rushing. That total is second on the all-time Georgia Southern rushing list, behind former Payton Award winner Adrian Peterson, and is third-best in Southern Conference history. Foster had been Georgia Southern's starting quarterback and led the Eagles to the playoffs as a sophomore in 2005, but a new coaching staff switched him to wide receiver in 2006 and the team slipped to a 3-8 record, the worst in school history. When new coach Chris Hatcher came in for the 2007 season, he moved Foster back to quarterback and the Eagles narrowly missed winning the Southern Conference automatic bid and a trip to the playoffs during a 7-4 campaign. Foster finished the regular season ranked second in FCS with 167.6 rushing yards per game, and was third in scoring (13.5), fifth in all-purpose yards (189 yards per game), 12th in total offense (277 yards) and 50th in punt returns (7.8 per return). In the passing game, Foster completed 109-of-170 passes for 1,203 yards and six touchdowns, and did not throw an interception in his final six games. His 3,047 yards of total offense established a new Georgia Southern record, breaking the mark of College Football Hall of Famer Tracy Ham.

Josh Johnson, San Diego, Quarterback, 6-3, 205, Senior, Oakland, Ca.

Johnson capped off an incredible career with 43 touchdown passes and one interception in his final year. He threw for 2,988 yards and ranked first in passing efficiency (198.3) and total offense (371.4) as he completed 206- of-301 passes (68.4%). His average of 298.8 yards per game ranked fourth in FCS, and he was seventh in the sub-division in passing yards. But Johnson wasn't just a passer. He also finished the season ranked 68th nationally in rushing (72.6 yards per game) with 726 yards on 101 carries (7.2 per carry) and two TDs. During Johnson's three years as a starter, San Diego went 31-4, winning two outright Pioneer Football League titles and two Sports Network Cups as the best Mid-Major team in FCS. Johnson took the Toreros to a share of the PFL title again this season. He finished his career with 9,699 yards passing (21st all-time in FCS), 113 touchdowns (fifth all- time) and just 15 interceptions, to go along with 1,864 rushing yards and 19 TDs. Johnson was also responsible for 133 touchdowns and 11,563 yards of total offense, with the latter figure ranking 10th all-time in FCS history. He finished sixth in the 2006 Payton Award balloting and was named an All-American after throwing for 3,320 yards and 34 TDs. Johnson, who has accepted an invitation to play in the 2008 East-West Shrine Bowl, is the all-time FCS career leader in passing efficiency (176.68), and is second in active career touchdown passes with 113.

Eric Sanders, Northern Iowa, Quarterback, 6-1, 190, Senior, Oelwein, Iowa

Sanders has established himself as a winner ever since breaking into the starting lineup as a freshman. Sanders concluded the 2007 regular season with a 34-8 record as a starter, including an 11-0 mark this year, and currently owns 12 fourth-quarter or overtime comebacks as a collegian. Sanders ranked fourth nationally in passing efficiency in '07 and 29th in total offense (224.1 yards per game), completing 184-of-241 passes (76.3%) for 2,237 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. The senior also helped Northern Iowa complete its first perfect regular season since 1960 with a pair of comeback wins. Playing with a sprained AC joint in his right throwing shoulder against No. 16-ranked Illinois State on Sept. 29, Sanders threw a five-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter to lift UNI to a 23-13 win. Four weeks later, with UNI trailing 13-0 in the fourth quarter against Youngstown State, Sanders engineered two TD drives to pull out a 14-13 victory. Previously, Sanders was a catalyst in Northern Iowa's drive to the 2005 NCAA Division I championship game, guiding the Panthers to a comeback win over Eastern Washington, a drive for the winning field goal in a 24-21 win over No. 1 ranked New Hampshire and a comeback win in overtime against Texas State. Sanders led UNI to Gateway Conference titles in 2005 and 2007.

The Walter Payton Award was established in 1987 by The Sports Network. Several previous winners have gone on to outstanding professional careers in football, including Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois), Brian Westbrook (Villanova), Adrian Peterson (Georgia Southern), Jerry Azumah (New Hampshire), Brian Finneran (Villanova), Dave Dickenson (Montana), Steve McNair (Alcorn State), and Dave Meggett (Towson).