Aug. 28, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Center Valley, Pa. - After receiving honors and acclaim throughout the preseason, Holy Cross senior quarterback Dominic Randolph, Colgate senior running back Jordan Scott and Lafayette senior linebacker Andy Romans have all earned a place among the elite in the Football Championship Subdivision after being named to the watch lists for the two major individual FCS awards announced by The Sports Network on Thursday.
Randolph and Scott are among 16 players in contention for the Walter Payton Award, given to the Most Outstanding Player in the FCS. Romans is on the list of 16 competitors for the Buck Buchanan Award, which honors the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the nation.
Randolph and Scott finished the 2007 season on the ballot for the Walter Payton Award, and placed 12th and 14th, respectively, in the voting. They are two of eight players to return to the list in 2008 after earning a spot on the final ballot last season. Romans makes his first appearance on the Buck Buchanan Award watch list.
Randolph, the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, has racked up honors ahead of the 2008 campaign. He was a Second-Team selection on The Sports Network and Consensus Draft Services All-America lists, and earned Third-Team honors from College Sporting News. He was also selected as the No. 3 quarterback in the nation by The Sports Network. Randolph enters the 2008 season as the all-time Patriot League leader in per game passing yards and total offense, and is the active career FCS leader in both categories. He received Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2007 after completing 297-of-482 passes for 3,604 yards with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions while leading Holy Cross to records of 7-4 overall and 4-2 in the League.
Scott's preseason awards include an All-America selection from The Sporting News, a Second-Team spot on the Consensus Draft Services list and Third-Team honors from College Sporting News. He was the nation's leading rusher in 2007, finishing with 170.5 yards per game while posting 1,875 yards and 20 touchdowns for the season. He became the third player in Patriot League history to put up 11 consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts in a season. Scott enters the 2008 campaign with 4,473 career rushing yards, a total that leads all FCS players and is just 362 yards shy of breaking the Patriot League record held by Lafayette's Erik Marsh (1991-94).
Romans has earned two All-America honors to go with his Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year award. He was named a Second-Team All-American by The Sports Network and a Third-Team selection by College Sporting News. Romans led a Lafayette defense that finished in the top 10 nationally in scoring, rushing and total defense. He received First-Team All-Patriot League honors in addition to Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year recognition after recording 113 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 2007.
The Patriot League placed three student-athletes on the final FCS awards ballot last season, with Colgate linebacker Mike Gallihugh finishing 11th in the Buck Buchanan Award voting to join Randolph and Scott. It marked the first time since 2003, when Colgate running back Jamaal Branch won the Walter Payton Award, that the Patriot League placed three student-athletes on the final Sports Network FCS awards lists. Fordham Head Coach Tom Masella joined the group on the ballot in 2007 and finished seventh in the Eddie Robinson Award (Most Outstanding Coach) voting.
Five Patriot League representatives have earned one of the major FCS awards. Colgate running back Kenny Gamble won the inaugural Payton Award in 1987, while Branch gave the Raiders a second winner when he took home the hardware in 2003. Three head coaches have won the Eddie Robinson Award, with Holy Cross' Mark Duffner (1987), Lafayette's Bill Russo (1988) and Lehigh's Pete Lembo (2001) all taking home the trophy.
Randolph is one of six quarterbacks on the watch list, and he'll face off with a fellow Payton Award contender at his position when Holy Cross opens its season at home against Liam Coen and Massachusetts on Sept. 6.
Scott is one of seven running backs on the Payton list, while Romans is among a group of 10 linebackers up for the Buchanan Award. Colgate begins its season on Saturday at Stony Brook, while Romans and the Leopards start on Sept. 6 at Marist.
