Foster Named to Final Ballot for Payton Award
11/26/2007 5:08:00 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).
This year Foster has been named National ?Player of the Week' twice and three times been selected as Southern Conference ?Offensive Player of the Week' and earned the league's ?Player of the Month' award for September.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT JAYSON FOSTER...
“Just Unstoppable”
Headline of the Myrtle Beach Sun Times, September 16, 2007
“Foster finished with career-highs in yards (253) and touchdowns (six) a scoring list which read like a Powerball drawing with scoring distances of 31, 36, 55, 18, 8 and 17 yards.”
- - Travis Sawchik, Myrtle Beach Sun Times, September 16, 2007
Coastal Carolina head coach David Bennett
“He's about as quick a [player] as you'll ever see. As quick as anybody anywhere [including] Southern Cal and Oklahoma... I was prepared for it. He's as quick as anybody anywhere.”
- - September 16, 2007 - Myrtle Beach Sun Times
Coastal Carolina linebacker D.J. Rice
“Foster did some good things when we were in position it was 50/50. Sometimes when we were in position he froze you and made you miss. A couple of times we weren't in position. All it takes is one guy to mess up.”
- - September 16, 2007 - Myrtle Beach Sun Times
West Georgia head coach Mike Ledford
“Foster fulfilled all the hype I heard about him. He's one play away from changing the course of the game.”
- - September 9, 2007 - Savannah Morning News
Teammate DB Chris Covington
“He's an absolute freak. Nobody knows how he does what he does. I don't think he knows. He's amazing. He's a great athlete, and to be completely honest, he's a better person than he is an athlete. He's an awesome person to root for.”
- - September 16, 2007 - Statesboro Herald
Teammate OL Russell Orr
“He does whatever it takes to win. With Foster out there, we could all miss our blocks, and he would still run it in for a touchdown. That's Jayson.”
- - September 13, 2007 - George-Anne newspaper
Head Coach Chris Hatcher
“That guy is pretty darn good. We could play touch football on the banks at Eagle Creek and he'd still score touchdowns.”
- - September 16, 2007 - Savannah Morning News
“Foster has the knack of making a big play when we need one.”
- - September 15, 2007 - GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com
Wofford head coach Mike Ayers
“He's got my vote. He got my vote before we played him and nothing's changed. He's a heck of a player. He's one of those guys that if you get out of position you're toast.”
- - November 6, 2007 ? Southern Conference Coaches' Teleconference
Furman head coach Bobby Lamb
“He's quite a player... I call him (Jayson Foster) the most exciting player in football, any level, any division. He's probably the best player pound for pound that I've seen and he can dominate a game like no other.”
- - November 6, 2007 ? Southern Conference Coaches' Teleconference
Colorado State head coach Sonny Lubick
“He's a great player. He makes you look bad, and he's hard to bring down. He's every bit as good as we saw on tape.”
- - November 18, 2007 - The Coloradoan
