CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? Georgia Southern senior quarterback Jayson Foster (Canton/Cherokee County) was awarded the 2007 Walter Payton Award, as announced by The Sports Network Thursday night (Dec. 13). The awards dinner was held at the Chattanooga Marriott.

Foster received 24 first-place votes compared to 21 for runner-up Eric Sanders of Northern Iowa, but Foster also received 19 second-place votes, three for third, four for fourth and 11 for fifth place totaling 224 points. Sanders tallied 184 points and fellow finalists Josh Johnson of San Diego finished with 166 points (10 first-place votes).

Head coach Chris Hatcher finished 11th in the voting for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the national ?Coach of the Year', receiving three first-place votes and 58 total points. Mark Farley of Northern Iowa received 39 first-place votes and 310 points to win.

Foster, who Wednesday was named Associated Press First Team All-American as a running back, joins Adrian Peterson (1999) as the only Payton Award winners in Eagle history.

“I feel very honored, very privileged to win the Walter Payton Award. You cannot win an elite award like this without having talented teammates and a great coaching staff,” said Foster. “The Payton Award is a very prestigious honor, there are many great names who have won this award. It is humbling to be mentioned with such great collegiate football players.”

Last month 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 team-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.

The senior QB opened the season in impression fashion, rushing for 231 yards on just 11 carries and three touchdowns in the 45-21 win over West Georgia. The following week he set a GS record with six rushing TDs while racking up 253 rushing yards in the 42-34 win at Coastal Carolina. Foster became the only player in program history to open the season with three consecutive 200-yard rushing games, 210 yards and three scores against Chattanooga.

After completing 10-of-10 passes for 147 yards in a win over Western Carolina, Foster set career-highs of 23-of-31 passing for 225 yards in a last-second win against South Dakota State.

Two weeks later Foster tallied 175 yards on the ground as the Eagles ended fifth-ranked Appalachian State's 30-game home win streak, a 38-35 win in Boone. He saved his career-best performance for a win at 10^th-ranked Wofford. Foster rushed for a career-high 279 yards and scored three TDs in the 38-35 win over the Terriers.

Previous winners of the Payton Award include current NFL players such as the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois, 2002), Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook (Villanova, 2001) and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair (Alcorn State, 1994).