STATS PERFORM – Indiana State redshirt freshman quarterback Elijah Owens was named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List as announced by the organization on Tuesday afternoon. The recognition comes two weeks after Owens was named the National Freshman of the Week following a standout performance in Indiana State's 31-27 win over Murray State.
 
Owens is one of 30 players named to the in-season Watch List for the award which honors the FCS Freshman Player of the Year in college football's Division I subdivision. The Rice Award, now in its 14th season, is named after legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice. Past recipients include Cooper Kupp, Chase Edmonds, Trey Lance, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
 
Owens is one of three Missouri Valley Football players to be honored on the in-season watch list. The Jacksonville, Ill. native was joined by North Dakota State running back CharMar Brown and Missouri State linebacker Dallas Winner-Johnson. He is also one of six quarterbacks recognized across the nation.
 
The Sycamore quarterback has been one of the nation's most accurate passers over the course of the 2024 season. Owens is currently sixth in FCS in completion percentage at 70.3% while connecting with 12 different wide receivers on the year.
 
Owens has gone 109-of-155 through the air for 962 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions on the season. He also leads Indiana State with 90 carries for 328 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. He's averaging 160.3 passing yards and 54.7 rushing yards per game.
 
Owens earned Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week following his performance in Indiana State's 31-27 win over Murray State in their first Valley win of the season. The Sycamore quarterback accounted for 264 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, while guiding Indiana State to the game-winning touchdown drive with just 11 seconds left in the game. He directed the winning drive with passes or runs on seven of the nine plays.
 
Owens becomes the second Indiana State quarterback to be named to the Jerry Rice Midseason Watch List in the last three seasons. Former Sycamore Cade Chambers was among the Jerry Rice Finalists in the 2022 season.
 
To be eligible for the Jerry Rice Award, a player must be considered a freshman by his conference in his first academic year or second if he did not surpass four regular-season games played in the true freshman season (the NCAA redshirt rule). More players can join the watch list before a national media panel selects the winner following the regular season. 

The 2024 Jerry Rice Award recipient will be announced on Dec. 4 and honored at the Stats Perform National Awards Banquet on Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas. Other awards at the banquet are the Walter Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year), Buck Buchanan Award (FCS Defensive Player of the Year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS Coach of the Year), Urban Edge Network HBCU+ Player of the Year and FedEx Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
 
Up Next
Indiana State continues Missouri Valley Football play at home this weekend as the Sycamores host Southern Illinois for Homecoming. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Salukis is set for 1 p.m. ET with the Valley Game of the Week scheduled to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
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