Sophomore running back Otis Weah of North Dakota and junior running back Pierre Strong Jr. of South Dakota State have been named as a Stats Perform FCS Walter Payton Award finalists on Monday, an award presented annually to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
 
Weah is the first player in program history to earn the distinction and the first player to be a finalist for a major national award in college football since Weston Dressler was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award in 2007.  The Moorhead, Minn., native was all over the field for the Fighting Hawks, finishing second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 570 rushing yards while his seven rushing touchdowns were tops in the league. He paced the conference and was sixth nationally with 114.0 yards per game and his 7.50 yards per carry also led the MVFC and sits fifth in the nation, leading the country among underclassmen.
 
Weah scored a touchdown in all five games this season, including a pair of multi-score games in wins over No. 3 South Dakota State and No. 20 South Dakota. He also busted out for two 100-yard rushing games, scampering for 163 yards on 16 carries in that same win over the Coyotes and a 13-carry, 129-yard performance with a touchdown at No. 4 North Dakota State.  As a team, North Dakota finished third in the conference in rushing while leading the league in scoring and total offense.

A junior from Little Rock, Arkansas, Strong leads the team in rushing during the 2020-21 season with 453 yards in five games (90.6 ypg) for a Jackrabbit offense that has churned out an average of 233 rushing yards per contest. He is averaging 5.7 yards per carry and has scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, while also ranking third on the squad with 12 receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown. Strong has rushed for 90 or more yards four times, including a season-high 124 yards on 21 carries March 13 versus Youngstown State.
 
Strong was on the official watch list for the Walter Payton Award for most of the 2019 season and was honored on All-America teams selected by HERO Sports (second team), the Associated Press (third team) and Phil Steele publications (third team). He ranks 10th in career rushing at SDSU with 2,587 yards.
 
Strong is the seventh Jackrabbit player to be named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award since the program moved to the FCS ranks in 2004, joining the following:
Kyle Minett, running back, 2010;
Zach Zenner, running back, 2012-14;
Jake Wieneke, wide receiver, 2015-16;
Taryn Christion, quarterback , 2016-18;
Dallas Goedert, tight end, 2016-17;
Cade Johnson, wide receiver, 2019.

South Dakota State was awarded the top seed in the FCS playoffs, which begin Saturday at campus sites. The Jackrabbits, 5-1 overall, will host Holy Cross in first-round action, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. Central Time at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
 
A 40-member national media panel will select the winner from the unprecedented 2020-21 season on May 15, which has spanned the fall and spring semesters.
 
WALTER PAYTON AWARD – 16 Finalists
Percy Agyei-Obese, James Madison, RB, Sr. (CAA)
Statistics: 69 carries, 381 yards, 5.5 ypc, 5 TDs; 4 receptions (4 games)
Notable: TD in all 4 games; 132 rush yards, TD vs. Elon
Eric Barriere, Eastern Washington, QB, Sr. (Big Sky)
Statistics: 166 of 268 (61.9 percent), 2,193 yards, 18 TDs, 6 INTs; 135 rush yards (6 games)
Notable: 300+ pass yards in 5 of 6 games, multiple TD passes in all 6 games
Julius Chestnut, Sacred Heart, RB, Jr. (Northeast)
Statistics: 93 carries, 717 yards, 7.7 ypc, 8 TDs; 8 receptions, 171 yards, 3 TDs (4 games)
Notable: 173+ rushing yards, TD in all 4 games
Tim DeMorat, Fordham, QB, Jr. (Patriot)
Statistics: 93 of 129 (72.1 percent), 1,049 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTs; 2 rush TDs (3 games)
Notable: 39 of 56, 440 yards, 2 TDs vs. Holy Cross
Juwon Farri, Monmouth, RB, Jr. (Big South)
Statistics: 79 carries, 422 yards, 5.3 ypc, 9 TD (3 games)
Notable: 119+ rushing yards, multiple TDs in all 3 games
Aqeel Glass, Alabama A&M, QB, Sr. (SWAC)
Statistics: 67 of 113 (59.3 percent), 1,084 yards, 13 TDs, 3 INTs; 1 rush TD (3 games)
Notable: 27 of 40, 440 yards, 6 TDs, 1 rush TD vs. Jackson State
Jakob Herres, VMI, WR, Jr. (Southern)
Statistics: 67 receptions, 807 yards, 12.0 ypc, 7 TDs (7 games)
Notable: 29 receptions, 373 yards, 5 TDs over consecutive games vs. Samford and Wofford
Quay Holmes, ETSU, RB, Jr. (Southern)
Statistics: 122 carries, 640 yards, 5.2 ypc, 8 TDs; 182.3 all-purpose ypg (6 games)
Notable: 310 all-purpose yards vs. Western Carolina, 293 vs. VMI
Tyler Hudson, Central Arkansas, WR, So. (Southland)
Statistics: 50 receptions, 845 yards, 16.9 ypc, 7 TDs; 15 punt returns, 119 yards, 1 TD (9 games)
Notable: 12 receptions, 154 receiving yards vs. Arkansas State was one of 4 100-yard games
Cole Kelley, Southeastern Louisiana, QB, Sr. (Southland)
Statistics: 210 of 305 (68.9 percent), 2,662 yards, 18 TDs, 4 INTs; 7 rush TDs; 2 TD catches (7 games)
Notable: 300+ pass yards in all 7 games; 4+ total TDs in 5 of 7 games
Dejoun Lee, Delaware, RB, Sr. (CAA)
Statistics: 77 carries, 498 yards, 6.5 ypc, 5 TDs; 87-yard KOR TD; 152.2 all-purpose ypg (5 games)
Notable: 221 rush yards, 2 TDs, 275 all-purpose yards vs. Rhode Island
Keith Pearson, Presbyterian, WR, Sr. (Pioneer)
Statistics: 65 receptions, 831 yards, 12.8 ypc, 5 TDs; 6 punt returns, 90 yards (7 games)
Notable: 10+ receptions in 4 of 7 games; 100+ receiving yards in 5 of 7 games
Pierre Strong Jr., South Dakota State, RB, Jr. (Missouri Valley)
Statistics: 80 carries, 453 yards, 5.7 ypc, 2 TDs; 12 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD (5 games)
Notable: 90+ rush yards in 4 of 5 games
Otis Weah, North Dakota, RB, So. (Missouri Valley)
Statistics: 76 carries, 570 yards, 7.5 ypc, 7 TDs (5 games)
Notable: 129 rush yards, TD vs. North Dakota State; TD rush in all 5 games
Liam Welch, Samford, QB, Grad (Southern)
Statistics: 161 of 236 (68.2 percent), 2,242 yards, 12 TDs, 5 INTs; 303 rush yards, 4 TDs (6 games)
Notable: 37 of 59, 570 yards, 4 TDs vs. VMI; 39 of 49, 443 yards, 1 TD vs. Mercer
DeAngelo Wilson, Austin Peay, WR, Sr. (Ohio Valley)
Statistics: 44 receptions, 619 yards, 14.1 ypc, 3 TDs (7 games)
Notable: 99+ receiving yards in all 5 OVC games