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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Vernon Adams finalist for Walter Payton Award

For the second straight year, Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.

And just as he did last year, Adams considers it a compliment to the entire Eastern offense.

“It just shows you how good this team is,” Adams said Tuesday morning as the Eagles practiced for Saturday’s second-round Football Championship Subdivision playoff game against Montana.

“We’re in this award together,” said Adams, one of three quarterbacks in the running for the highest individual honor in FCS.

Adams was the runner-up for the award last year behind Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garappolo; this time, he will compete against two other quarterbacks, Justin Arias of Idaho State and John Robertson of Villanova.

The award will be announced at Dec. 15 in Philadelphia, along with the Buck Buchanan Award (outstanding defensive player), the Jerry Rice Award (for freshman of the year, won last year by EWU receiver Cooper Kupp) and the Eddie Robinson Award (coach of the year).

Despite missing four games with a broken foot, Adams has 2,876 yards passing and 30 touchdowns in eight games, having completed 67 percent of his 301 passes with five interceptions.

Said EWU coach Beau Baldwin: “He continues to evolve in terms of his command of the pocket his command of changing protections, and his command of going to a certain route against a certain coverage.

“He’s seeing things so much faster and the game is continuing to become slower,” Baldwin said.

Adams no longer meets the NCAA minimum of playing in 75 percent of a team’s games to qualify for NCAA statistical rankings (he would need to play in nine of EWU’s 12 games).

If he did, he would lead FCS in per-game rankings for total offense (391.5), passing offense (359.5) and points responsible for (25.0), and would be second in passing efficiency rating (179.5). Despite missing four games, he ranks sixth in FCS with 30 TD passes (the leader has 38).

Given that, Adams said he was “shocked” to be in the running.

Arias is the official NCAA leader in TD passes (38) and passing yards per game (339.7). Robertson, who led Villanova to a 10-2 record and No. 6 seed in the FCS playoffs, led FCS in passing efficiency (183.0 rating) and points responsible for (21.7 per game).

Previously, Eastern’s Bo Levi Mitchell (2011) and Erik Meyer (2005) have won the Payton Award, and J.C. Sherritt (2010) and Greg Peach (2008) have won the Buchanan Award.