Jayson Foster One of Three Finalists for Walter Payton Award
11/26/2007 5:21:00 AM | Football
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern senior quarterback Jayson Foster (Canton/Cherokee County) was named one of three finalists for the 2007 Walter Payton Award, as announced by The Sports Network on Monday afternoon (Nov. 26).
Foster is the first Eagle to make the final three since Adrian Peterson accomplished the feat from 1998-2001 and won the award in 1999. He joins San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson and Northern Iowa quarterback Eric Sanders. The Payton Award winner will be announced December 13th at the Chattanooga Marriott during the annual Sports Network awards dinner.
“I'd say this is the biggest personal honor of my career. It's an honor to be named to the Payton Award list, and even more satisfying making it to the final three. You cannot be in consideration for an elite award like this without having talented teammates and a great coaching staff,” said Foster. “The Walter Payton Award is a very prestigious honor, there are many great names who have won this award. It would be an incredible honor to be mentioned with them. I'm looking forward to the awards presentation and meeting the other finalists and those involved with the Payton Award.”
Last week Foster was named ?Offensive Player of the Year' in a vote by the Southern Conference's head coaches. A vote from a national panel of Football Championship Subdivision Sports Information Directors and selected FCS media from around the country recognized the role Foster had in helping the Eagles rebound this season.
After the squad finished 3-8 last year Foster again switched from wide receiver to quarterback (a position he played his sophomore year), kick returner and holder. He led the Eagles to a 7-4 overall record and 4-3 in the SoCon. The four-win improvement is the Eagles' second-largest increase in regular season play. Only the 1997 team that finished the regular season 9-2 (after finishing 1996 at 4-7) had a bigger improvement.
GS finished one game back from sharing the league title (and receiving the automatic bid to the playoffs) while the four losses were by a combined 20 points.
Foster's 1,844 yards (second nationally in rushing yards per game) set a NCAA Division I record for most rushing yards by a quarterback. That yardage was the second-highest total in a Georgia Southern season, and third-most in SoCon history. He recorded a SoCon-leading 24 touchdowns on the ground.
He completed 109-of-170 passes for 1,203 yards and six TDs to four interceptions. Foster did not throw an interception over the final six games. His 3,047 total offense yards and 431 plays were just two of the multiple records he set this year.
Foster ? the 2004 SoCon ?Freshman of the Year' - currently ranks third nationally in scoring (13.5 ppg), fifth in all-purpose yards (189 ypg), 12th in total offense (277 ypg) and 49th in punt returns (7.8 yards per return).
“It's a great honor to be voted among the top three players in the country. I cannot imagine a better football player in the country or one who means more to their team. Jayson did it all this year - running the offense, returning punts and even holding on kicks ? and did it well,” said Georgia Southern head coach Chris Hatcher. “Jayson just had a knack for coming up with a big play when we needed one. He is one of the best players I have ever coached, and to me there is no one more deserving than Jayson Foster to win this award.”
