Herrick Ninth in Walter Payton Award Voting

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. – Northern Arizona quarterback Michael Herrick finished ninth in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award, the Sports Network announced.

Herrick finished with 31 points, including one first-place vote. He was added to the prestigious Walter Payton Award ballot, one of 20 players on the final ballot, in the final week. He joins Stephen F. Austin Jeremy Moses and Weber State’s Cameron Higgins as the only juniors among the top 10 finalists.

Herrick recorded four of the top 20 single-game passing performances in school history this season, including nine games with 200 or more yards on the season and five games with 300 or more yards. He ranked third in the Big Sky and 15th in the nation in passing efficiency at 149.5 and second in the Big Sky and is sixth overall nationally in total offense (298.3). On the season, he completed 270-for-407 (68.2%) for 3,356 yards, the fifth-best total in the nation, with 22 touchdowns.

Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards, Elon wide receiver Terrrell Hudgins and Southern Illinois running back Deji Karim were announced on Monday as the three finalists for the 23rd annual Walter Payton Award.

The Payton Award, which is voted on by an elite panel of sports information directors, writers and broadcasters covering FCS football, goes to the top player in the sub-classification.

The winner will be named on Dec. 17 in Chattanooga, Tenn., at The Sports Network's annual awards banquet. In addition, the 23rd Eddie Robinson Award and the 15th Buck Buchanan Award will be handed out to the top coach and top defensive player in FCS at the Chattanooga Marriott, the night before the NCAA Division I Football Championship game.

2009 WALTER PAYTON AWARD VOTING - Top-three in alphabetical order
NAME (SCHOOL)...........................1st..2nd..3rd..4th..5th...Total
Armanti Edwards (Appalachian State)
Terrell Hudgins (Elon)
Deji Karim (Southern Illinois)
Matt Nichols (Eastern Washington)...... 12...16....9...12....13....188
Dominic Randolph (Holy Cross)............8...16...14....8....12....174
Ryan Perrilloux (Jacksonville State).....9....9...11....5....18....142
Jeremy Moses (Stephen F. Austin).........4....7....9...13.....8....109
William Ford (South Carolina State)......3....3....2....2.....2.....39
Michael Herrick (Northern Arizona).......1....2....3....3.....3.....31
Cameron Higgins (Weber State)............0....3....3....2.....5.....30
Toddrick Penland (McNeese State).........0....2....4....2.....5.....29
Curtis Pulley (Florida A&M)..............0....2....3....3.....3.....26
Chase Reynolds (Montana).................0....1....3....3.....5.....24
Bryant Lee (Southern)....................2....0....2....2.....0.....20