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Football
Grace Named to Walter Payton Award Watch List
University of Northern Iowa senior quarterback Pat Grace is among the first four candidates released for the 2009 Walter Payton Award by The Sports Network. Joining Grace on the list are 2008 Walter Payton Award winner Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards, Samford running back Chris Evans and South Carolina State running back William Ford. A total of 20 candidates will be announced in alphabetical order prior to the start of the season, with four candidates being released each week. The watch list will be revised in October and again in November before the final ballot is announced. Voting from a panel of FCS sports information directors, writers, broadcasters and other football experts will be conducted after the regular season ends. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 30 and will be invited to the 23rd annual Sports Network Awards banquet on Dec. 17 in Chattanooga, Tenn., the night before the NCAA Division I championship game. The Eddie Robinson Award (top coach) and the Buck Buchanan Award (top defensive player) will also be presented that night.
Grace (Sioux City, Iowa/Heelan HS) replaced graduated Payton Award runner-up Eric Sanders as the Northern Iowa quarterback last season and did not miss a beat, leading the Panthers to a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship and to within a few seconds of the NCAA Division I title game last season. In 2008, he passed for 2,041 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his passes in route to earning second-team All-MVFC honors. The dual-threat quarterback also rushed for 618 yards and 11 touchdowns. He came back from a mid-season knee injury to play some of his best ball down the stretch. Grace passed for a career-high 255 yards and added 84 yards rushing in a 36-34 first-round playoff win over New Hampshire. Grace had a career-high 99 yards rushing in a 31-17 victory over Illinois State. He finished the season ranked No. 15 nationally in passing efficiency and No. 40 with 221 yards of total offense per game. In his first three seasons, two as a backup to Sanders, Grace has 2,247 yards passing with 30 total touchdowns.
UNI's Previous Finishes in Walter Payton Award Balloting 1996 Dedric Ward, WR 5th 1999 Ryan Helming, QB 14th 2000 Ryan Helming, QB 5th 2003 Terrance Freeney, RB 14th 2007 Eric Sanders, QB 2nd 2007 Chad Rinehart, OL 22nd |
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