PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Three Southern Conference performers have been named to the 2010 Walter Payton Award Watch List. Appalachian State running back Devon Moore, Elon quarterback Scott Riddle and Samford running back Chris Evans are three of the 20 Football Championship Subdivision players on the initial list.
The Payton Award is in its 24th season and will be presented on Thursday, January 6 in Frisco, Texas - the night prior to the FCS National Championship Game. The Payton Award Watch List will be revised during the 2010 season. Updated lists will be announced on October 4 and 25. Ballots will be sent to a panel of approximately 200 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries after the regular season. Three finalists will be announced on December 1 and invited to The Sports Network/Fathead FCS Awards Presentation in Frisco, Texas.
A senior from Mebane, N.C., Moore is coming off his finest season and one of the top campaigns by a rusher in Appalachian history. His 1,374 rushing yards a season ago led the Southern Conference and ranked fifth nationally in terms of total rushing yardage (he ranked second in the SoCon and 13th nationally with 98.1 yards per game). The rushing total was also the fifth-highest in ASU single-season history and his 19 rushing touchdowns tied for fourth in the school's single-season annals.
A versatile back in the Mountaineers' vaunted spread offense, Moore also caught 36 passes for 282 receiving yards out of the backfield a year ago, en route to earning first-team all-conference recognition from the SoCon's coaches and media.
Despite having only one full season as a starter under his belt, Moore has amassed 2,271 career rushing yards, making him one of only 11 2,000-yard rushers in school history. He is expected to have an even bigger role in the offense as a senior with the graduation of quarterback Armanti Edwards, the only two-time winner in the 23-year history of the Payton Award.
Riddle, who finished 23rd in the Payton Award balloting a year ago, completed 285 passes for 3,345 yards and 23 touchdowns during his junior season. He averaged 278.67 total yards per game, ranking 13th nationally. Riddle passed for 300 or more yards in six of Elon's 12 contests and twice threw four touchdown passes in a single game. In a victory at Furman, Riddle passsed for a season-high 374 yards and a touchdown while completing 35 of his 48 passes. He was honored as the SoCon Player of the Week after passing for 338 yards and a TD and rushing for another score in a win over Georgia Southern.
In Elon's FCS Playoff game at Richmond, Riddle became the first quarterback in the history of the Southern Conference to eclipse the 10,000-yard passing mark. He finished his junior campaign with 10,033 career passing yards and is the FCS active leader in that category.
A second-team All-Southern Conference choice a year ago, Riddle set a new SoCon record with 218 pass attempts between interceptions. He also holds league career records in completions (894), touchdown passes (78) and pass attempts (1,374).
Evans is already Samford's all-time career rushing leader with 3,469 yards in his Samford career. As a junior in 2009, Evans became the first player in Samford history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in three-straight seasons. He ran for 1,152 yards during his junior campaign.
In addition to his rushing numbers, Evans also led the team in receptions in 2009. He caught a team-high 38 passes for 172 yards.
Evans has led the Southern Conference in rushing in both of Samford's seasons in the league. He has also been named first-team All-SoCon in each of the last two seasons.
As a sophomore in 2008, Evans set a school-record with 1,284 rushing yards. He also rushed for a career-high 14 touchdowns that season.
Evans began his career at Samford in 2007, the Bulldogs' final season in the Ohio Valley Conference. That season, he rushed for 1,033 yards and was named to the OVC's All-Newcomer team.
2010 WALTER PAYTON AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST
K.J. Black, Prairie View A&M, QB, Senior
Thomas DeMarco, Old Dominion, QB, Junior
Pat Devlin, Delaware, QB, Senior
Chris Evans, Samford, RB, Senior
Jonathan Grimes, William & Mary, RB, Junior
Michael Herrick, Northern Arizona, QB, Senior
Cameron Higgins, Weber State, QB, Senior
Ben Ijalana, Villanova, OT, Senior
Taiwan Jones, Eastern Washington, RB, Junior
Malcolm Long, South Carolina State, QB, Senior
Kyle Minett, South Dakota State, RB, Senior
Devon Moore, Appalachian State, RB, Senior
Jeremy Moses, Stephen F. Austin, QB, Senior
Tysson Poots, Southern Utah, WR, Senior
Chase Reynolds, Montana, RB, Senior
Scott Riddle, Elon, QB, Senior
Andrew Selle, Montana, QB, Senior
Matt Szczur, Villanova, WR, Senior
Steve Valentino, Dayton, QB, Senior
Chris Whitney, Villanova, QB, Senior