FARMINGTON, Utah — Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott, Montana safety Robby Hauck, Griz punter Patrick Rohrbach and MSU head coach Brent Vigen are candidates for national award recognition for the 2022 FCS season.
Mellott, a sophomore, is one of 30 finalists for the Walter Payton Award given to the nation's outstanding offensive player. Through eight regular-season games, Mellott has thrown for 1,206 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions, and has 705 rushing yards and seven TDs on the ground.
On Monday, Mellott was named a co-recipient of the Big Sky's offensive player of the week award after leading the Bobcats to a 55-21 rout of rival Montana last week. Mellott had 141 rushing yards, 104 passing yards and two touchdowns versus the Grizzlies.
Montana's Hauck, meanwhile, is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the top defensive player in the FCS. Hauck, a senior, is UM's all-time leading tackler, and leads the team this season with 95 total stops along with four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Rohrbach is up for the Jerry Rice Award, which is given to the top freshman in the FCS. Rohrbach, a freshman, is averaging 46.2 yards per punt on 40 attempts with 16 pinned inside the 20 and 14 traveling 50-plus yards. The Grizzlies lead the FCS in net punt average at 42.15 yards per attempt.
MSU's Vigen is a candidate for the Eddie Robinson Award as the national coach of the year. Vigen's Bobcats are 10-1 overall and finished conference play with a perfect 8-0 record to share co-champion honors with Sacramento State. The Big Sky title is the first for Montana State since 2012, and its undefeated conference record is its first since 1976.
The Bobcats are 22-4 under Vigen in his first two seasons with the program. Vigen was also a finalist for the Robinson Award last season.
