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Nov. 20, 2006
Mason
Remains on Final Payton Award List, Heacock Candidate for Robinson Award
Youngstown --
Youngstown State senior tailback
Marcus Mason (Potomac, Md.) took one
step closer to the Walter Payton
Award as one of the 16 members on
the final ballot, The Sports Network
announced.
Mason is one of nine running backs up for I-AA's top award
listed on the final ballot, which
was sent to media and I-AA sports
information directors for voting
Monday. YSU
head coach Jon Heacock was also
listed as a candidate for the Eddie
Robinson Coach of the Year Award.
If Mason is among the top three vote-getters, he will be
invited to attend the 20th Annual
I-AA College Football Awards banquet
for the presentation of the Payton,
Robinson and Buck Buchanan awards on
Dec. 14 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Mason burst onto the national scene and the Watch List on
Nov. 1 following a string of strong
performances in the Gateway Football
Conference season. In nine total
games, Mason has rushed for 1,496
yards and 19 touchdowns. In six
Gateway games, he rushed for 1,189
yards and 14 touchdowns.
Mason ranks second in I-AA in rushing at 166.2 yards per game
and second scoring with 12.67 points
per game.
He rushed for more than 100 yards in eight of his nine games,
and his only sub-100 yard
performance was a 99-yard effort
against UC Davis. Mason also rushed
for 266 yards against Western
Illinois on Oct. 14 and 249 against
Southern Illinois on Nov. 4.
Heacock, who was also a finalist for the Robinson Award last
season, led the Penguins to the
Division I Football Championship for
the first time since 2000. YSU won
the Gateway Championship outright
with a 6-1 mark in the conference
after sharing the title in 2005.
Heacock was named the American
Football Coaches Association Region
Four Division I-AA Coach of the Year
and the Gateway's Bruce Craddock
Coach of the Year at the end of last
season.
2006
Walter Payton Award
Finalists
David Ball, WR,
New Hampshire
Steve Baylark, RB,
Massachusetts
Clifton Dawson,
RB, Harvard
Jerome Felton, FB,
Furman
*Justise
Hairston, RB,
Central Connecticut
State
Josh Johnson, QB,
San Diego
Marcus Mason, RB,
Youngstown State
Jason Murrietta,
QB, Northern Arizona
*Justin Rascati,
QB, James Madison
*Pierre Rembert,
RB, Illinois State
Kevin Richardson,
RB, Appalachian
State
Ricky Santos, QB,
New Hampshire
D.D. Terry, RB,
Sam Houston State
Tyler Thigpen, QB,
Coastal Carolina
Steve Walker, QB,
North Dakota State
Arkee Whitlock,
RB, Southern
Illinois
2006
Eddie Robinson Award
Finalists
David Bennett,
Coastal Carolina
Craig Bohl, North
Dakota State
Don Brown,
Massachusetts
Maurice Forte,
Arkansas Pine-Bluff
Jim Harbaugh, San
Diego
Bobby Hauck,
Montana
Jon Heacock,
Youngstown State
Roger Hughes,
Princeton
Denver Johnson,
Illinois State
Jerry Kill,
Southern Illinois
Mike Kramer,
Montana State
Jerry Moore,
Appalachian State
Jack Siedlecki,
Yale
Jason Simpson,
UT-Martin
Joe Taylor,
Hampton
Matt Viator,
McNeese State
* - added to list since Nov. 1
revision |
