FARGO — The race for the best offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision is heading into its tight run as we enter the final month of the regular season.

North Dakota State quarterback Cam Miller It is among the Walter Payton Trophy, which is given annually to the best offensive player in the FCS. The award is given based on the regular season. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Miller helped the Bison get off to an 8-1 start and rank No. 1 in the FCS. The team’s only loss came in Colorado to start the season.

South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski Payton won the award last season, as the last seven winners have been quarterbacks. Former Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp He became the last non-QB to win the award in 2015.

Miller is trying to become the second Bison player to win the award. Former NDSU quarterback Trey Lance He won the Payton in 2019, his freshman season.

Central Arkanas running back ShunDerrick Powell and Tarleton State running back Kayvon Britten With a month left in the regular season, here are the top non-QB candidates for the award. The award is voted on during Thanksgiving week.

Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott and Southeast Missouri State quarterback Payton DeLaurent They are also coming off strong seasons and are in position to compete for Payton. Mellott led the Bobcats undefeated in eight games, including the FBS victory.

Check Inforum.com weekly for updates on the Payton race.

Here are this week’s top 5:

Miller leads the FCS in completion percentage, completing 77% of his passes in nine games. He passed for 1,795 yards with 16 touchdowns and no interceptions. Miller also rushed for 252 yards and six touchdowns on 72 attempts.

Last week: Miller completed 5 of 5 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns in a 59-6 victory over Murray State. Miller was removed from the game late in the second quarter with the Bison taking a comfortable lead.

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Powell leads the FCS in all-purpose receiving yards with 181.5 yards per game. He threw for 1,177 yards and 13 touchdowns on 144 attempts in eight games. Powell also has 29 receptions for 288 yards and three touchdowns.

Last week: Powell rushed for 70 yards on 14 attempts in a 24-19 victory against North Alabama. He also had two catches for minus-6 yards.

David Samson / Forum

Mellott leads the FCS in passing efficiency at 187.39. He completed 69% of his passes for 1,203 yards and 14 touchdowns with no interceptions in seven games. He also rushed for 387 yards and seven touchdowns on 45 attempts for the undefeated Bobcats.

Last week: Goodbye week.

Britten leads the FCS with 1,266 yards and 13 touchdowns on 188 attempts in eight games. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Britten is averaging 158.3 yards per game and 6.7 yards per carry.

Last week: Britten rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on 30 attempts in a 27-17 victory against Austin Peay.

DeLaurent leads the FCS in passing yards. In nine games, he completed 61% of his passes for 2,734 yards and 23 touchdowns with eight interceptions. The 6-foot-1, 229-pound DeLaurent is averaging 303.8 passing yards per game.

Last week: DeLaurent completed 35 of 58 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in the 30-24 victory over Gardner-Webb.

David Samson/Forum

Jacob ClarkQB, Missouri State; derek robertsonQB, Monmouth; Mark GronowskiQB, South Dakota State, Efton Schism IIIWR, Eastern Washington; Lan LarisonRB, UC Davis.

Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also manages the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and assists with the North Dakota State football broadcast. Peterson has been with the newspaper since 1996.