Photo by Mark Campbell

PHILADELPHIA -- University of Delaware junior quarterback Pat Devlin, who has led the Blue Hen football team to a 4-2 record and a No. 23 national ranking at the mid-point of the 2009 season, has been added to the Walter Payton Award Watch List by The Sports Network.

The Walter Payton Award, which is presented each December by The Sports Network, annually honors the top offensive player at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.

Devlin (at right), a finance major from Downingtown, Pa. (Downingtown East High School) and a first-year transfer from Penn State, will lead the Blue Hens into action Saturday, Oct. 17 at Towson at 3:30 p.m. in Colonial Athletic Association. The Hens have won two straight games, including a 43-27 victory over then No. 12 Massachusetts last Saturday at Delaware Stadium.

He has started all six games for Delaware and has completed 119 of 181 passes for 1,536 yards and 11 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He leads the CAA in passing yardage per game (256.0) and total offense per game (270.8), and ranks No. 3 in passing rating (153.77). This season he threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns vs. UMass, 329 yards and a touchdown against Maine, and 302 yards and three touchdowns vs. William & Mary.

He has been named the CAA Offensive Player of the Week each of the last two weeks and was selected as the ECAC Eastern Offensive Player of the Week this past week.

Devlin is joined on the Watch List by 2008 Payton Award winner and Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edward. The list also includes quarterbacks Pat Grace (Northern Iowa), Cameron Higgins (Weber State), Ryan Perrilloux (Jacksonville State), Curtis Pulley (Florida A&M), Dominic Randolph (Holy Cross), Matt Nichols (Eastern Washington), Bryant Lee (Southern), running backs Dave McCarty (Albany), Todd Pendland (McNeese State), Chase Reynolds (Montana), David Sinisi (Monmouth), Trevyn Smith (Weber State) Tony Nelson (Massachusetts), Chris Evans (Samford), and William Ford (South Carolina State), wide receivers Terrell Hudgins (Elon) and Andre Roberts (The Citadel), and all-purpose runner Deji Karim (Southern Illinois). The list of 20 players will be revised in early November.

Delaware senior safety Charles Graves remains on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, which was also revised this week. The Buchanan Award honors the top defensive player at the FCS level. Graves has started all six games this season and leads the Blue Hens with 38 interceptions and with three interceptions.

Graves is joined by defensive linemen Tim Knicky (Stephen F. Austin), Adrian Tracy (William & Mary), James Ruffin (Northern Iowa), Mychal Savage (Youngstown State), Austen Lane (Murray State), Jeremy Maddox (Alabama A&M), Arthur Moats (James Madison), Christian Anthony (Grambling), Danny Batten (South Dakota State), Larry Hart (Central Arkansas), Dane Fletcher (Montana State), linebackers Brandin Jordan (Southern Illinois), J.C. Sherritt (Eastern Washington), and Osayi Osunde (Villanova), and defensive backs Mark LeGree (Appalachian State), Jeromy Miles (Massachusetts), Josh Morris (Weber State), Justin Rogers (Richmond), and Terrell Whitehead (Norfolk State).

Delaware, Weber State, Northern Iowa, Appalachian State, Eastern Washington, and Southern Illinois are the only six schools in the nation to have a player mentioned on both the Payton and Buchanan Award lists.