LAKE CHARLES – McNeese senior quarterback Daniel Sams, who holds school single-season and career records for most 100-yard rushing games as a quarterback, has been nominated to the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List, STATS announced on Tuesday. The award is formerly the Walter Payton Award.
 
Sams is one of 25 finalists for the national honor that will be voted on next week, with the top three vote-getters being invited to the STATS FCS Awards Banquet on Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas, the site of the FCS National Championship game.
 
The New Orleans native has had a productive season all year in leading the Cowboys to a 9-0 record and a No. 2 and 3 ranking in the FCS polls.
 
He's recorded two games where he's piled up 300 or more offensive yards, including 332 against Sam Houston State on Nov. 7 in his last outing on a career-high 164 yards rushing and another 168 passing. He was named the STATS National Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts as the Cowboys won the game 27-10 to clinch the Southland Conference's automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.
 
With three 100-yard rushing games on the year, he became the first McNeese quarterback in school history to achieve the feat, and with six in his short McNeese career, surpassed Kerry Joseph (4) at the all-time quarterback record holder.
 
Sams is currently ranked second in the conference in total offense per game (241.9) and is fourth in rushing (85.9). He's also fourth in the league and 24^th nationally with 10 rushing touchdowns scored and eighth in the conference with 6.7 points per game.
 
Sams joins Lamar running back Kade Harrington as the only two representatives from the Southland Conference to be named to the list.
 
Other players on the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List are quarterbacks Case Cookus of Northern Arizona, Justin Gahafer of Morehead State, Scott Hosch of Harvard, Jacob Huesman of Chattanooga, KD Humphries of Murray State, Mark Iannotti of Southern Illinois, Eli Jenkins of Jacksonville State, Troy Mitchell of Western Carolina, Dakota Prukop of Montana State, Alex Ross of Coastal Carolina, Dalyn Williams of Dartmouth and Johnathan Williams of Grambling State; running backs Kendell Anderson of William & Mary, Tarik Cohen of North Carolina A&T, Marshaun Coprich of Illinois State, Chase Edmonds of Fordham, Jacobi Green of Richmond, Kade Harrington of Lamar, Johnta' Hebert of Prairie View A&M and De'Angelo Henderson of Coastal Carolina; wide receivers Tyler Dube of Sacred Heart, Cooper Kupp of Eastern Washington and Jake Wieneke of South Dakota State; and offensive tackle Joe Haeg of North Dakota State.
 
A national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the award winner.