Sanders - Walter Payton Award Candidate Flyer in PDF Format
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Philadelphia (Sports Network) - University of Northern Iowa junior
quarterback Eric Sanders remains one of 16 candidates for the Walter
Payton Award, given annually to the nation's best I-AA football player.

Sanders (Oelwein, Iowa/Oelwein HS) has passed for 1,435 yards this season
and thrown for 11 touchdowns in leading UNI to a No. 14 national ranking 
and 5-3 overall record. Sanders ranks fifth in the nation this season 
in completion percentage (68.4 percent). Sanders has compiled a mark of 
21-7 as a starting quarterback for the Panthers in 28 career starts.

An updated list of 32 players has been established by The Sports Network, 
I-AA college football's most widely recognized information service, 
indicating the current and official "Payton Watch" and "Buchanan Battle" 
members. The "Payton Watch" and "Buchanan Battle" pages, which can be 
found at The Sports Network's website (www.sportsnetwork.com) keep track 
of the quest for the 20th Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the 
top player in I-AA football, and the 12th Buck Buchanan Award, which goes 
to the top defensive player in I-AA. The honors will be presented at the 
20th annual I-AA College Football Awards on Thursday, December 14th in 
Chattanooga, Tenn., on the eve of the 2006 I-AA National Championship. 
The Eddie Robinson Award, honoring I-AA's top coach, and the Sports Network 
Cup, bestowed upon the nation's best I-AA mid-major program, will also 
be presented on Dec. 14th.

Three new players grace the updated "Payton Watch" list. A trio of running
backs have been selected as potential candidates, with Steve Baylark
(Massachusetts), Marcus Mason (Youngstown State) and D.D. Terry (Sam Houston
State) all joining the watch list. For the Buchanan, defensive ends Kroy
Biermann (Montana) and Edgar Jones (SE Missouri State), linebacker Akeem
Jordan (James Madison) and safety Jeremy Wiggins (Appalachian State) have
all been selected as potential candidates.

The official "Payton Watch" and "Buchanan Battle" lists will undergo one
final revision just prior to the distribution of ballots on November 20th.
The ballots will be mailed electronically to the media and I-AA sports
information directors selected for the voting process on November 20th, and
will be due Wednesday, November 22nd. The top three finalists (in terms of
votes received) for the Walter Payton Award will be invited to attend the
presentation in Chattanooga, TN, with the winner of that Award not announced
until the event.

Following are the 32 current members of both the "Payton Watch" and
"Buchanan Battle" lists, with additional information on each player, as well
as history and facts about each of the I-AA awards, available at
www.sportsnetwork.com.

"Payton Watch" Candidates (Nov. 1)
David Ball, WR, New Hampshire
*Steve Baylark, RB, Massachusetts
Clifton Dawson, RB, Harvard
Jerome Felton, FB, Furman
Jon Grant, QB, UC Davis
Josh Johnson, QB, San Diego
*Marcus Mason, RB, Youngstown State
Jason Murrietta, QB, Northern Arizona
James Noble, RB, Cal Poly
Kevin Richardson, RB, Appalachian State
Eric Sanders, QB, UNI
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

"Buchanan Watch" Candidates (Nov.1)
*Kroy Biermann, DE, Montana
Zak DeOssie, LB, Brown
Justin Durant, LB, Hampton
Adam Hayward, LB, Portland State
James Ihedigbo, S, Massachusetts
Markeseo Jackson, LB, Tennessee-Martin
*Edgar Jones, DE, Southeast Missouri State
*Akeem Jordan, LB, James Madison
Tyler Knight, LB, Mississippi Valley State
John Mohring, LB, Georgia Southern
Marques Murrell, DE, Appalachian State
Chad Nkang, LB, Elon
Kyle Shotwell, LB, Cal Poly
Cameron Siskowic, LB, Illinois State
Bryan Smith, DE, McNeese State
*Jeremy Wiggins, S, Appalachian State
* = new addition