PHILADELPHIA- Monmouth redshirt junior Pete Guerriero has been named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, handed out annually to the nation's top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision, it was announced on Monday.
 
Guerriero will attend the STATS FCA Awards Banquet in Frisco, Texas on the eve of the national championship game. Additionally, fifth-year senior quarterback Kenji Bahar (Baltimore, MD/Calvert Hall) finished eighth in the voting, marking the first time that Monmouth Football had two players on the watch list.
 
"Pete has great vision, he is a very patient runner. He allows things to develop in front of him and once he sees a crease he has the acceleration and explosive speed to get through the line of scrimmage and get to the second and third levels. He's done a great job adding strength and body mass over the last two years. I believe he has gotten faster and he's a much stronger runner than he was in his first year."
 
Guerriero, Monmouth's first finalist for a national award, leads the NCAA in rushing with 1,995 . He had nine games of 100+ yards, tying a school record and at one point had four 200+ yard rushing games in a six-game span. The two-time First Team All-Conference selection is fourth in the NCAA in all-purpose yards per game at 166.50. The junior had seven touchdown runs of 50+ yards including Saturday's 93 yard scamper which set a new FCS playoff record. 
 
Bahar, the Big South Offensive Player of the Year, guided one of the nation's most potent offenses while rewriting the Monmouth passing record books. He became the first Big South quarterback to throw for 30 touchdowns while finishing with just eight interceptions on the season.
 
Monmouth Head Coach Kevin Callahan is on the Eddie Robinson Award Watch List after leading the Hawks to a No. 11 ranking, their first playoff victory and a 11-3 overall record. The finalists for that award will be released on Wednesday.