TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Indiana State sophomore tailback Shakir Bell is off to the best start rushing in school history and today (Oct. 4) he was honored by being added to the Walter Payton Award Watch List by The Sports Network.

The Walter Payton Award, in its 25th season, honors the most outstanding player in FCS football and Bell was one of four players nationally to be added to the watch list. Bell is one of four players from the Missouri Valley Football Conference to be featured on the watch list as Youngstown State's Jamaine Cook, North Dakota State's D.J. McNorton and Northern Iowa's Tirrell Rennie are also honored.

Bell is enjoying a stellar season so far as he has helped lead the Sycamores to their first 4-1 start since 2004 and their first 2-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference start since 1996. Through five games, Bell has amassed 767 rushing yards, which is the highest total anyone in the Indiana State program has ever posted this early in a season. His 153.4 rushing yards per game average ranks second nationally and needs just 233 more rushing yards over the next two games to become the earliest 1000-yard rusher in the history of the program. Additionally, he has found the end zone eight times on the ground and earlier this season reached 200 yards rushing in back-to-back games, including a school record 256 against Youngstown State.

No. 17 Indiana State travels to No. 2 Northern Iowa on Saturday, October 8 for the first game between nationally-ranked teams involving the Sycamores since 1996. Kickoff from the UNI-Dome is slated for 5:05 p.m. (ET) and will be televised world-wide on a pay-per-view basis on GoSycamores.com.