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Bomar, Higgins and Sinisi named to Payton watch list

Thu 16th, October 2008

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Sam Houston State quarterback Rhett Bomar, Weber State quarterback Cameron Higgins and Monmouth running back David Sinisi have been named to the Walter Payton Award watch list, the Sports Network announced on Thursday.

That trio joins 13 other players, all holdovers from the original list announced in August, on the revised list. T he Payton Award watch list will undergo one further revision in November, and the final ballot will be announced at the end of the regular season.

The winner of the 22nd Walter Payton Award, symbolic of the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) will be announced at the annual Sports Network Awards banquet on Dec. 18 in Chattanooga, TN. at the Marriott Hotel. The Eddie Robinson Award, which goes to the top coach in FCS, and the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top FCS defensive player, will also be awarded the night before the NCAA Division I football championship game.

Bomar has completed 63% of his passes for 1,239 yards with 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions. The 6-2, 215-pound senior from Grand Prairie, TX is a dual threat, with 129 yards rushing and three TDs on the ground, and leads FCS in total offense (342 yards per game). He is fourth in yards per game (309.8), seventh in passing efficiency and 14th in completions per game (22.8).

Considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the current NFL draft class, Bomar has thrown for 300 yards or better in three consecutive games. He had 340 yards and a touchdown against Kansas, and matched that yardage total and added five TDs a week later against Gardner-Webb. Bomar came back with a career-high 361 yards passing last week in a wild 48-46 loss to Central Arkansas, completing 29-of-47 passes with three TDs.

Bomar is in his second year as the SHSU starting quarterback after transferring from Oklahoma. He passed for 2,209 yards and 10 TDs in 2007 in just nine games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Higgins, the 6-2, 195-pound passer from Hawai'i Kai, HI, earned national attention when he led the Wildcats to a record-breaking 73-68 victory over Portland State. Higgins completed 22-of-36 passes for 334 yards and four TDs and rushed nine times for 106 yards and three more scores to finish with 440 yards of total offense. He passed for a season-high 432 yards a week later in a 52-37 win over Idaho State, had a career-high five TD passes against Dixie State, and has thrown for four touchdowns in three other wins.

Higgins has thrown for 2,121 yards and an FCS-best 23 touchdowns, with a 68% completion rate and just five interceptions. He has 300 or more yards passing in four of the past five games and has led the Wildcats to a 5-2 record and the No. 18 ranking in FCS, with the only losses coming to Hawaii and Utah. Higgins ranks first in total passing yards, second in passing efficiency, fifth in passing yards per game (303), eighth in total offense and 18th in completions per game (21.9).

As a redshirt freshman in 2007, Higgins earned his first start in the fourth game and finished the year with 1,959 yards passing, with 17 touchdowns, completing 56% of his passes with just nine interceptions. He was 19th nationally in passing efficiency, with 2,131 yards of total offense and was responsible for 21 TDs.

Sinisi has already rushed for 1,101 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, while turning in a sparkling 6.2 average per carry. The 5-9, 180-pound senior has six 100-yard rushing efforts in seven games this year, including a career-best 247 yards on 32 carries two weeks ago against St. Francis.

The Cedar Grove, NJ product currently ranks third nationally in yards per game (157.3), behind only Jordan Scott of Colgate and Herb Donaldson of Western Illinois, two other Payton Award candidates. Sinisi is 12th in FCS in all-purpose yards with 1,190, an average of 170 per game.

Sinisi formerly set an FCS record by scoring touchdowns in 30 consecutive games, a streak that was snapped in a 26-7 loss to Coastal Carolina in the third week of this season.

Sinisi took a quantum leap last year to establish himself as one of the top running backs in FCS. After rushing for 754 yards and averaging 4.4 yards per carry as a sophomore, he broke loose for 1,184 yards, a 5.7 average and 17 TDs and added 1,787 all-purpose yards in his junior year. He is also a proven receiver, with 58 career catches for 639 yards.

Bomar, Higgins and Sinisi join 13 other candidates on the Payton watch list: wide receiver Ramses Barden of Cal Poly, quarterback Nathan Brown of Central Arkansas, quarterback Liam Coen of Massachusetts, running back Herb Donaldson of Western Illinois, quarterback Armanti Edwards of Appalachian State, wide receiver Terrell Hudgins of Elon, running back Rashad Jennings of Liberty, quarterback Rodney Landers of James Madison, running back Mike McLeod of Yale, quarterback Matt Nichols of Eastern Washington, quarterback Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross, wide receiver Andre Roberts of The Citadel and running back Jordan Scott of Colgate.