CLEVELAND (Jan. 6, 2022) - The FCS Athletics Directors Association (ADA) awarded Eric Barriere (Eastern Washington) and Troy Andersen (Montana State) its top Player of the Year awards on Thursday, as the Big Sky pair adds more hardware to their trophy cases.
Barriere was named the FCS ADA Offensive Player of the Year, while Andersen garnered the FCS ADA Defensive Player of the Year honor. Barriere and Andersen will be recognized on Saturday, Jan. 8, at the FCS Championship at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Both honorees will be presented a plaque by the FCS ADA Vice President, Tom Michael, Director of Athletics at Eastern Illinois, during an on-field presentation.
For the full release from the FCS ADA, click here.
The honor for Barriere marks his second-straight FCS ADA Offensive Player of the Year award, after winning this past spring. Barriere joins former EWU wide receiver and current Los Angeles Ram Cooper Kupp as the only other Eagle to win the award twice, as Kupp was honored in 2015 and 2016. The EWU QB tossed 40 touchdowns and 4,242 yards during the 2021 regular season. Barriere set the Big sky career record for total offense, passing yards and passing TDs and was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season this past fall.
Andersen, who was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year this past season, averaged 10.4 tackles per game over the course of the 2021 regular season. The Montana State linebacker tallied 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions as well to lead the Bobcats. Andersen led MSU to a 9-2 regular-season record and its first national championship appearance since 1984. Andersen was also one of 13 finalists for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded to college football's premier scholar-athlete.
Along with Montana's Patrick O'Connell, the Big Sky pair of Barriere and Andersen are among the top-three finalists for the prestigious Walter Payton and Buck Buchanan awards, which will be presented at the annual Stats Perform FCS National Awards banquet on Friday, Jan. 7.
Andersen and the Bobcats will be seeking the football program's first national title since 1984, as Montana State faces off against North Dakota State at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas on Saturday, Jan. 8. Kickoff is slated for 10 a.m. MT and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
Follow all things #BigSkyFB on Twitter and Instagram at @BigSkyFB. Follow the Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok for all the latest news around the league and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.