(OGDEN, Utah, July 11) - Three Big Sky Conference players will begin the 2011 football season on the 2011 Walter Payton Award watch list, The Sports Network announced Monday.
Montana State sophomore quarterback DeNarius McGhee, who finished seventh in voting as a freshman, joins Eastern Washington quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and Eagle wide receiver Brandon Kaufman among the 20 players on the initial list.
The award, sponsored by Fathead.com, honors the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. The watch list will be updated throughout the year, and the winner will be announced on the eve of the Division I National Championship game in January. The winner will be selected by a panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries.
McGhee, a 5-foot-11, 203-pounder from Euless, Texas, shined during his redshirt freshman season, leading Montana State to a share of the Big Sky Conference regular-season title and the league’s automatic bid to the playoffs. The Co-Big Sky Offensive MVP threw for 3,163 yards with 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He led the Big Sky and ranked 10th in the nation in total offense with an average of 278.7 yards per game. He also finished fourth in the country with a passing efficiency rating of 153.8. In 2010 Payton voting, McGhee earned five first-place votes and 92 total points.
Mitchell, a 6-2, 210-pound senior from Katy, Texas, led Eastern Washington to its first Division I national championship. Mitchell threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles rallied from a 19-0 deficit to beat Delaware 20-19 in the national championship game.
Mitchell, a transfer from SMU, threw for 3,496 yards and a school-record 37 touchdowns with 15 interceptions in his first season with the Eagles.
Mitchell’s favorite target in 2010 was Kaufman, a 6-5, 215-pound junior from Denver, Colo. Kaufman led the Big Sky with 76 catches for 1,214 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2010 en route to being named first-team All-Conference. In the national championship game, he caught nine passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. In a semifinal win over Villanova, he caught eight passes for 135 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown.
Eastern Washington and Montana State both finished 7-1 in Big Sky play, sharing the regular-season championship.
Appalachian State QB DeAndre Presley is the top returning vote-getter. Presley finished third in last year’s voting, behind winner Jeremy Moses, a QB from Stephen F. Austin, and Matt Barr, a QB from Western Illinois.
The initial Watch List includes 11 quarterbacks, seven running backs and two wide receivers.
The Sports Network has presented the Walter Payton Award since 1987. Big Sky players have won six Walter Payton Award, most recently by Eastern Washington QB Erik Meyer in 2005.
The Sports Network also presented the Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the top defensive player, as well as the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. Four Big Sky players have captured the Buchanan Award, including EWU’s J.C. Sherritt in 2010.
This year, the Sports Network will also present the Jerry Rice Award, given to the nation’s top freshman.
2011 Walter Payton Award Watch List
Eric Breitenstein, FB, Wofford
Casey Brockman, QB, Murray State
Mike Brown, QB, Liberty
B.J. Coleman, QB, Chattanooga
Jermaine Cook, RB, Youngstown State
Thomas DeMarco, QB, Old Dominion
Nate Eachus, RB, Colgate
Jonathan Grimes, RB, William & Mary
Brandon Kaufman, WR, Eastern Washington
Mike Mayhew, RB, North Carolina A&T
Josh McGregor, QB, Jacksonville
B.J. McNorton, North Dakota State
Bo Levi Mitchell, QB, Eastern Washington
Tirrell Rennie, QB, Northern Iowa
Brad Sorensen, QB, Southern Utah
DeNarius McGhee, QB, Montana State
Andrew Pierce, RB, Delaware
DeAndre Presley, QB, Appalachian State
Chris Summers, WR, Liberty
Casey Therriault, QB, Jackson State