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EWU’s Gubrud, Kupp are Payton Award finalists

Eastern Washington Eagles wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) celebrates with quarterback Gage Gubrud (8) after scoring a touchdown during the second half of a college football game on Saturday, Oct 29, 2016, at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Jim Allen jima@spokesman.com
Eastern Washington Eagles wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) celebrates with quarterback Gage Gubrud (8) after scoring a touchdown during the second half of a college football game on Saturday, Oct 29, 2016, at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)

They were good enough for the Big Sky Conference football coaches, and the rest of the nation feels the same way about Eastern Washington quarterback Gage Gubrud and wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

A week after being named co-Big Sky offensive players of the year, Gubrud and Kupp are among three finalists for the Walter Payton Award, the Football Championship Subdivision equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

“When you take a look at their seasons, Gage has had an outstanding debut year, and then Cooper’s body of work is off the charts,” coach Beau Baldwin said Tuesday as the Eagles prepared for Saturday’s second-round FCS playoff game against Central Arkansas.

A national panel of more than 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries voted on the Payton Award, which had 25 finalists from 13 FCS conferences.

The third finalist is Sam Houston State quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe.

The award will be handed out at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation in Frisco, Texasm on Jan. 6, the eve of the national championship game.

Gubrud and Kupp are the first pair of teammates to share the Big Sky Conference’s offensive player of the year award and have helped third-ranked Eastern Washington (10-1) to a share of the conference title and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

Gubrud, redshirt sophomore from McMinnville, Oregon, opened the season against Washington State with a school-record 551 total offensive yards in his first career start, and later set the Eagles’ single-game standard for passing yards with 520 against Montana State.

Gubrud is on pace to set the Big Sky record for total offensive yards per game (his average is a national-best 412.2) and ranked second in the FCS in completions (300), passing yards (4,071), passing yards per game (370.1), touchdown passes (40), points responsible for (266) and points responsible for per game (24.2) during the regular season.

Kupp, a redshirt senior from Yakima and last year’s Payton winner, had 91 receptions for 1,297 yards and 12 touchdowns, ranking first in receiving yards per game (129.7) and second in receptions, receptions per game (9.1) and receiving yards. He rushed for a touchdown, passed for two and scored on a punt return.

The NFL prospect owns 13 FCS, 10 Big Sky and 22 school records, led by the career trio of 402 receptions, 6,061 receiving yards and 68 touchdowns receptions - each an FCS and Division I record.

Briscoe, a redshirt junior from Houston, has led Sam Houston State to the No. 1 ranking in the STATS FCS Top 25, the Southland Conference title and the No. 5 seed in the FCS playoffs.

Briscoe has produced the top four single-game touchdown performances in Sam Houston history, including seven scoring passes against both Stephen F. Austin and Central Arkansas.