Barr, McGhee, Harris Join Walter Payton Award Watch List
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 12, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The season-long excellence of quarterbacks Matt Barr of Western Illinois and Denarius McGhee of Montana State, and running back Henry Harris of Southeast Missouri State has led to their inclusion in the race for the 2010 Walter Payton Award, sponsored by Fathead.com.
A stellar 20-player Watch List will be pared to the Football Championship Subdivision's top individual honor. The Payton Award, in its 24th season, will be presented to the FCS' outstanding player at the national awards banquet on Thursday, Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas – the night before the national championship game.
Barr, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound redshirt senior, has led Western Illinois to a 6-3 record. He is second in the FCS in passing efficiency (167.44), having completed over 62 percent of his passes for 2,438 yards and 23 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He also has rushed for 398 yards and five touchdowns to rank third nationally with 315.1 yards of total offense per game.
McGhee, a 5-9, 203-pound redshirt freshman, has been the top signal-caller in the quarterback-rich Big Sky Conference, ranking sixth nationally in total offense (296.7 yards per game) during the Bobcats' 8-2 season. He has completed over 63 percent of his passes for 2,802 yards and 20 touchdowns against five interceptions, while rushing for a pair of touchdowns.
Harris, a 5-8, 185-pound redshirt senior, has led Southeast Missouri State to a 9-1 record and one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA Division I history. He leads the FCS with 219.2 all-purpose yards per game, including a school-record 1,493 rushing yards. He has scored 17 touchdowns.
Barr, McGhee and Harris join the Payton Award Watch List alongside quarterbacks Mike Brown of Liberty, Thomas DeMarco of Old Dominion, Pat Devlin of Delaware, Jeremy Moses of Stephen F. Austin, DeAndre Presley of Appalachian State, Scott Riddle of Elon, Casey Therriault of Jackson State, Steve Valentino of Dayton and Chris Whitney of Villanova; running backs Nate Eachus of Colgate, Chris Evans of Samford, Taiwan Jones of Eastern Washington, Kyle Minett of South Dakota State, Chase Reynolds of Montana and Frank Warren of Grambling State; wide receiver Tysson Poots of Southern Utah; and offensive tackle Ben Ijalana of Villanova.
A panel of nearly 175 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the Payton Award winner after the regular season.
The Sports Network also presents the Buck Buchanan and Eddie Robinson awards which are sponsored by Fathead.com. The Buchanan Award honors the FCS defensive player of the year and the Robinson Award honors the FCS coach of the year.
About The Sports Network
The Sports Network (www.sportsnetwork.com), North America's foremost international real-time sports wire service, furnishes a wide range of content on a 24/7 basis utilizing state-of-the-art technology that sets the tone and standard for the industry. From statistics to news, weather and injury reports to instant scores, branded product and gamecasts to photography and complete fantasy coverage data, domestic or world-wide, radio or TV, print or Internet, mobile to signage, TSN leads the way.
About Fathead
Fathead is the leading brand in sports and entertainment graphic products. Fathead products give fans the opportunity to bring their favorite passion or inspiration to life. Fathead products include Fathead Customs, Fathead Jr., Fathead Tradeables, Fathead Skins, and Fathead's flagship "Real Big:" the officially licensed life-size, hi-def wall graphics of professional athletes, animated heroes, entertainment characters, team helmets and logos. Fathead maintains license agreements with leading consumer brands across many industries and professional sports leagues. For more information, visit www.fathead.com.
SOURCE The Sports Network
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