OGDEN, Utah (November 29, 2016) – The 2016 season has been truly extraordinary for the Eastern Washington Eagles, as they prepare to start the FCS playoffs Saturday, as the two-seed.
The Eagles’ offense has been elite, leading the nation in passing yards, while figuring as one of the league’s best total offenses. Those accomplishments helped the Eagles earn a share of the #BigSkyFB regular season title. Eastern Washington also became the first school to have schools share Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year honors, as quarterback Gage Gubrud and receiver Cooper Kupp shared the honors.
Those honors won’t be the only thing Gubrud and Kupp share, as the pair of Eagles will grace the stage of the Embassy Suites in Frisco, Texas, as finalists for the Walter Payton Award, presented by STATS, on January 6, 2017.
Kupp, who has earned two national awards from the STATS/Sports Network organizations, will try for his third, after a season in which he became the FCS all-time leader in receiving yards, receptions and touchdown grabs. Kupp won the Jerry Rice Award in 2013, and was awarded the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year, last season, along with the Walter Payton Award.
The redshirt senior was a consensus all-Big Sky selection at wide receiver, and also earned honors for his play as a punt returner. This season, Kupp has caught 91 passes for 1,297 yards, while catching 12 touchdown passes. He is averaging 129.7 receiving yards per game this season.
Gubrud, in his first season as a starter, has turned the FCS community on its head, as he’s averaged 371.5 passing yards per game, throwing for over 4,000 yards, and 40 touchdowns. The sophomore has also rushed for 463 yards and four touchdowns. Gubrud has earned #BigSkyFB Offensive Player of the Week honors three times this season.
The Big Sky Conference has earned the Walter Payton Award on eight different occasions, with Eastern Washington winning in 2005, 2011 and 2015. Eastern Washington has earned national honors on eight different occasions, with two players earning the Buck Buchanan Award, and Kupp earning the Jerry Rice Award.