SalukiProf
11-27-2006, 06:22 PM
"November 27, 2006
Walter Payton Award Finalists Announced
Matt Dougherty, SportsNetwork.com
Murrietta, Santos And Whitlock Selected As Top Three Walter Payton Award Finalists
Philadelphia, Pa. -- Northern Arizona quarterback Jason Murrietta, New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos and Southern Illinois running back Arkee Whitlock have been selected as the top three finalists for the 2006 Walter Payton Award, which will be presented at the 20th Annual I-AA College Football Awards in Chattanooga, TN, on Dec. 14th. More than 110 ballots were cast for the Payton, which goes to I-AA’s top player, as well as for the Buck Buchanan Award (I-AA defensive player of the year) and Eddie Robinson Award (I-AA coach of the year). Winners of the Buchanan and Robinson will also be announced on Dec. 14th, and the voting breakdown for those awards will not be revealed until that time.
Murrietta, a senior from Glendale, AZ, threw for 2,827 yards with 34 touchdown passes and only five interceptions for the 6-5 Lumberjacks, who won four of their final five games. Murrietta was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career for his efforts. Murrietta’s 94 career touchdown passes rank second in Big Sky history, and his 10,726 career passing yards place him sixth in conference annals.
Santos, a junior from Bellingham, MA, completed the regular season with 2,681 passing yards and 23 touchdowns and added 12 rushing touchdowns to lead New Hampshire to an 8-3 record and its third consecutive playoff berth. Santos was named the Atlantic 10 Football Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 318 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to victory against Hampton in the first round of the playoffs, and New Hampshire will travel to Massachusetts in a quarterfinal game on Saturday.
Whitlock, a senior from Rock Hill, SC, ran for 1,541 yards and 21 touchdowns during the regular season to lead the Salukis to an 8-3 record and their fourth consecutive playoff berth. He turned it on at the end of the year with 568 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in the month of November. Whitlock kept his strong play going in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship, as he tallied 207 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Salukis past UT Martin, 36-30. Southern Illinois travels to Montana in a quarterfinal game on Saturday."
[snip]
http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=82461
Also, Marcus Mason of Youngstown State was 4th in the voting, and received 12 (of 119) 1st place votes.
Walter Payton Award Finalists Announced
Matt Dougherty, SportsNetwork.com
Murrietta, Santos And Whitlock Selected As Top Three Walter Payton Award Finalists
Philadelphia, Pa. -- Northern Arizona quarterback Jason Murrietta, New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos and Southern Illinois running back Arkee Whitlock have been selected as the top three finalists for the 2006 Walter Payton Award, which will be presented at the 20th Annual I-AA College Football Awards in Chattanooga, TN, on Dec. 14th. More than 110 ballots were cast for the Payton, which goes to I-AA’s top player, as well as for the Buck Buchanan Award (I-AA defensive player of the year) and Eddie Robinson Award (I-AA coach of the year). Winners of the Buchanan and Robinson will also be announced on Dec. 14th, and the voting breakdown for those awards will not be revealed until that time.
Murrietta, a senior from Glendale, AZ, threw for 2,827 yards with 34 touchdown passes and only five interceptions for the 6-5 Lumberjacks, who won four of their final five games. Murrietta was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career for his efforts. Murrietta’s 94 career touchdown passes rank second in Big Sky history, and his 10,726 career passing yards place him sixth in conference annals.
Santos, a junior from Bellingham, MA, completed the regular season with 2,681 passing yards and 23 touchdowns and added 12 rushing touchdowns to lead New Hampshire to an 8-3 record and its third consecutive playoff berth. Santos was named the Atlantic 10 Football Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 318 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to victory against Hampton in the first round of the playoffs, and New Hampshire will travel to Massachusetts in a quarterfinal game on Saturday.
Whitlock, a senior from Rock Hill, SC, ran for 1,541 yards and 21 touchdowns during the regular season to lead the Salukis to an 8-3 record and their fourth consecutive playoff berth. He turned it on at the end of the year with 568 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in the month of November. Whitlock kept his strong play going in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship, as he tallied 207 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Salukis past UT Martin, 36-30. Southern Illinois travels to Montana in a quarterfinal game on Saturday."
[snip]
http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=82461
Also, Marcus Mason of Youngstown State was 4th in the voting, and received 12 (of 119) 1st place votes.