STATS PERFORM – Indiana State's Elijah Owens finished ninth overall in the 2024 Jerry Rice Award honoring the FCS National Freshman Player of the Year marking the highest finish by a Sycamore freshman in program history as the committee announced the award winner on Wednesday.
 
Owens garnered one first place vote and 19 total points to receive the most votes and points overall by an Indiana State player. Only one other Sycamore previously was recognized among the nation's top freshman with Cade Chambers finishing 25th overall in the voting in the 2022 season.
 
The Jacksonville, Ill. native earned MVFC All-Newcomer honors after leading Indiana State's passing and rushing efforts over the course of the 2024 season. The Jacksonville, Ill. native set a Sycamore quarterback rushing record with 645 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns over the course of the season, while adding 1,717 passing pards and 12 more scores through the air. He finished fifth in the MVFC in total offense per game (222.88).
 
Owens posted three 100-yard rushing games and three 200-yard passing efforts over the course of 2024. He added three games with multiple passing touchdowns including a 30-for-37 game with 260 yards and three touchdowns against Eastern Illinois. Owens added a career-high 25 carries for 127 rushing yards and one touchdown against Youngstown State, while wrapping up the 2024 season with 168 passing yards, 107 rushing yards, and a touchdown at Northern Iowa.
 
Owens was runner-up for both the Missouri Valley Football's Freshman and Newcomer of the Year awards. He finished behind North Dakota State running back CharMar Brown in both categories. Brown was honored as the Jerry Rice Award winner on Wednesday.
 
The 14th annual Jerry Rice Award is named after the legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver, who played on the FCS level at Mississippi Valley State. Brown, who's known as "Marty," joins Trey Lance (2019) as a second NDSU recipient – the first FCS program with more than one. Other past recipients on the distinguished list of winners include Cooper Kupp, Chase Edmonds, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
 
2024 Jerry Rice Award Voting
Following is a breakdown of the voting results. A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote four points, a third-place vote three points, a fourth-place vote two points and a fifth-place vote one point. The final number is the combined point total.

1. CharMar Brown, RB, North Dakota State: 21-13-6-3-2-183
2. Adam Jones, RB, Montana State: 16-18-6-4-0-178
3. Carson Conklin, QB, Sacramento State: 10-5-11-7-1-118
4. Andrew Zock, DL, Mercer: 2-7-7-11-4-85
5. Sanders Ellis, LB, Tennessee State: 1-1-5-4-9-41
6. Mark Hamper, WR, Idaho: 1-2-3-4-3-33
7. David Avit, RB, Villanova: 0-1-4-1-7-25
8. Derek Ganter Jr., S, Eastern Washington: 0-0-4-4-2-22
9. Elijah Owens, QB, Indiana State: 1-2-0-2-2-19
10. Collin Hurst, QB, Presbyterian: 1-1-1-1-4-18
11. C.J. Coombes, S, Wofford: 1-1-1-1-2-16
12. Travis Terrell Jr., RB, Jackson State: 0-1-2-2-1-15
13. Jaden Green, RB, Lehigh: 0-0-3-1-3-14
14. Christopher Jean, CB, Central Connecticut State: 0-2-0-0-5-13
15. Taron Dickens, QB, Western Carolina: 0-0-1-3-2-11
16. Jason Collins Jr., RB, Morgan State: 1-0-0-1-2-9
17. Josh Anglin, LB, North Alabama: 0-1-1-0-1-8
T18. Steve Hall, RB, Lindenwood: 1-0-0-0-1-6
T18. Finn Lappin, P, McNeese: 0-0-1-1-1-6
T20. Tariq Thomas, RB, Bucknell: 0-0-0-2-1-5
T20. Matthew Traynor, LB, Richmond: 0-0-0-2-1-5
22. Charles Battaglia, LB, Stonehill: 0-1-0-0-0-4
23. Drew VanVleet, QB, Dayton: 0-0-0-1-1-4
24. Malachi Henry, WR, Central Arkansas: 0-0-0-1-0-2
25. Matt Childs, RB, Brown: 0-0-0-0-1-1
 
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