Big Sky Conference News Release
Eastern Washington University redshirt freshman quarterback Vernon Adams is this week's ROOT Sports Offensive Player of the Week as selected by the Big Sky Conference after accounting for 356 yards of offense in EWU's 34-17 win on Nov. 3 versus Cal Poly. Also announced on Monday (Nov. 5) was his inclusion as one of eight finalists for the GEICO Play of the Year Award.
Adams completed 19-of-29 passes for 288 yards and three touchdown tosses, and also rushed for 68 yards against the Mustangs. Eastern's scoring drives in the game were of 81, 66, 74, 69, 41 and 83 yards. For his effort, he also received honorable mention Quarterback of the Week accolades in FCS by College Football Performance Awards.
He and his teammates return to action this Saturday (Nov. 10) when the No. 5 Eagles host UC Davis on "Senior Day" at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. Kickoff at "The Inferno" is 1:35 p.m. Pacific time as the Eagles bid farewell to 16 EWU seniors against an Aggies team with a deceiving 3-6 overall record. Eastern will be the fifth team they've faced this season currently ranked in the top 19 of The Sports Network NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Top 25 poll.
Adams, who is from Pasadena, Calif., and is a 2001 graduate of Alemany High School, is also making a good push at winning the Jerry Rice Award given annually by The Sports Network to the top freshman in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. He ranks eighth in FCS in passing efficiency (155.05), and is the only freshman in the top 18 of the rankings. In seven games as a starter and one as a sub, he has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 1,362 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions.
An incredible scramble and touchdown throw by Adams against Sacramento State on Oct. 20 is a finalist for the GEICO Play of the Year. For eight weeks, fans voted for the GEICO Play of the Year, and Adams won the Play of the Year voting for Week 8. The eight weekly winners will be shown on GEICO Best of College Football 2012 on CBS on Nov. 23 at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time. Voting for the GEICO Play of the Year takes place through Nov. 12 and ballots may be cast at: http://www.facebook.com/bestofcollegefootball
The play may be viewed at the voting site or at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dot5OKwJtZE#!
Also announced on Monday, Eastern is back up to fifth in this week's Sports Network NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Top 25 Poll as selected by a national panel of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors. Other Big Sky Conference schools in this week's top 25 include Montana State (2nd TSN, 2nd coaches), Northern Arizona (11th TSN, 11th coaches) and Cal Poly (19th TSN, 19th coaches).
A 30-27 loss by the Eagles at Southern Utah dropped EWU to No. 7 and allowed defending champion North Dakota State to take over the top spot. In the coaches poll this week, the Eagles are up two spots to sixth, after also earning a No. 1 ranking two weeks in a row earlier this season.
Eastern's 27-24 victory over Montana State on Oct. 13, as well as losses by the top three ranked teams, catapulted EWU to the top of the rankings for two weeks. The Eagles were also No. 1 for two weeks in rankings released by College Sports Journal and College Sports Madness.
Vernon Adams completed 19-of-29 passes for 288 and three touchdowns Saturday against Cal Poly. (Photo: EWU Athletics)
