Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – They might be on opposite coasts, but
James Madison quarterback Vad Lee and Sacramento State wide receiver
DeAndre Carter share common ground.
Both wear jersey No. 2.
Both are finishing the regular season with a flourish.
Both seem to set a school record with every game.
And on Tuesday, Lee and Carter were both added to the Walter Payton Award Watch
List.
The 28th annual Payton Award, presented by The Sports Network, will be bestowed
on the outstanding player in the FCS on Dec. 15 at the national awards banquet.
The two new additions:
Vad Lee, QB, James Madison, Jr., 6-1, 225, Durham, North Carolina
A former starter from Georgia Tech, Lee transferred to JMU with the hope that
he would be utilized more as a passer. Oh, has he. He set a school record with
406 passing yards against Villanova and then bettered the mark with 433 yards
against Richmond this past Saturday. It’s all added up to a single-season
school record of 3,066 passing yards. The dual-threat signal caller also has
741 yards and seven TDs on the ground and ranks third in the FCS in total
offense with 346.1 yards per game. He has guided the Dukes to six straight wins
and into contention for an FCS playoff berth.
DeAndre Carter, WR, Sacramento State, 5-10, 185, San Jose, California
Carter has set Sac State single-season records for receptions (90) and
touchdown receptions (16) and is 79 yards shy of the receiving yardage mark
with 1,200 yards heading into the Hornets’ final game. He leads the FCS in all
three receiving categories. The playmaker had the biggest game in his career
when he caught 16 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns against Southern
Utah on Nov. 8, earning The Sports Network FCS Co-Offensive Player of the Week
honor. He has 33 career touchdown receptions, another school record.
Other players on the Walter Payton Award Watch List are quarterbacks Vernon
Adams Jr. of Eastern Washington, Justin Arias of Idaho State, Bryan Bennett of
Southeastern Louisiana, Jacob Huesman of Chattanooga, Dakota Prukop of Montana
State, John Robertson of Villanova and Alex Ross of Coastal Carolina; running
backs Marshaun Coprich of Illinois State, Malcolm Cyrus of Alabama State,
Khairi Dickson of Saint Francis (Pa.), Chase Edmonds of Fordham, Rob Hollomon
of Central Connecticut State, DaMarcus James of Jacksonville State, David
Johnson of Northern Iowa, Gus Johnson of Stephen F. Austin, Connor Kacsor of
Dayton, Dy’Shawn Mobley of Eastern Kentucky, Tyler Varga of Yale, Herb Walker
Jr. of Morgan State and Zach Zenner of South Dakota State; wide receivers R.J.
Harris of New Hampshire and Cooper Kupp of Eastern Washington; and tight end
MyCole Pruitt of Southern Illinois.
Ballots for the Walter Payton Award Watch List will be sent to a national panel
of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters,
writers and other dignitaries following the regular season. The top three vote-
getters will be invited to the national awards banquet.
The Sports Network also presents the Buck Buchanan, Jerry Rice and Eddie
Robinson awards. The Buchanan Award honors the outstanding defensive player in
the FCS, the Rice Award goes to the FCS freshman of the year and the Robinson
Award is bestowed upon the FCS coach of the year.
The 2014 FCS Awards package can be found at http://tinyurl.com/n5ysh8x.
