Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

PHILADELPHIA -- University of Delaware senior running back Omar Cuff, the nation’s leading scorer who broke numerous Blue Hen records during the ongoing 2007 campaign, has finished fourth in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award, The Sports Network announced this week.

Cuff (at right), a senior from Landover, MD, earned seven first place votes and 146 overall points in balloting conducted by sports information directors of NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision members and media members that cover FCS football. The Walter Payton Award is annually bestowed upon the top offensive player in the FCS.

By placing fourth, Cuff just missed an invitation to the annual Sports Network Award Dinner that will be held Dec. 13 in Chattanooga, TN. The three finalists for the award - Northern Iowa quarterback Eric Sanders, San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson, and Georgia Southern quarterback Jayson Foster - will attend the event with the winner being named that night. Also announced at the banquet will be the Eddie Robinson Award for Coach of the Year and the Buch Buchanan Award for the Defensive Player of the Year.

Cuff’s fourth place finish is the highest for a Delaware player since quarterback Andy Hall finished third in the balloting in 2003. In addition to Cuff’s fourth place finish, Delaware senior quarterback Joe Flacco, a native of Audubon, NJ, placed 18th with eight votes as a write-in candidate. He received eight second place votes. Delaware, Appalachian State, Northern Iowa, and Elon were the only schools to have two players earn votes in the balloting.

New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos, who won the award last season, placed fifth in the voting with 144 points followed by Southern Illinois quarterback Nick Hill (134), Richmond running back Tim Hightower (97), North Dakota State running back Tyler Roehl (73), Yale running back Mike McLeod (56), and Appalachian State running back Kevin Richardson (54) in the top 10.

Cuff has enjoyed a record-breaking season for the 13th ranked Blue Hens (9-3), leading Delaware into an NCAA quarterfinal berth vs. No. 1 Northern Iowa (12-0) this Saturday in Cedar Falls, IA. He has established school single season records with 328 carries, 1,657 yards, 33 rushing touchdowns, and 37 total touchdowns and has moved into second place all-time at Delaware with 4,076 rushing yards.

His 33 rushing touchdowns and 37 total touchdowns this season are both NCAA division records and his 63 career rushing touchdowns is a new Colonial Athletic Association standard.

Flacco has ranked among the nation’s top 10 quarterbacks in passing offense, passing efficiency, and total offense all season long as he has completed 262 of 390 passes for 3,374 yards and 18 touchdowns with just five interceptions. His 3,374 yards ranks No. 2 all-time in a single season at Delaware, just 62 shy of Matt Nagy’s record of 3,436 in 2000, and his 526 career completions broke Nagy’s UD mark. He threw for over 200 yards in 10 games this season, extending his UD record of 15 straight games with over 200 yards.