Karim Highlights

Oct. 15, 2009

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Sports Network announced Friday that Southern Illinois senior running back Deji Karim has been added as a candidate for the Walter Payton Award.

The Payton Award, now in its 23rd year, is given to the most outstanding player in the Football Championship Subdivision. Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin and Karim join 18 other players on the list. Northern Iowa senior quarterback Pat Grace and Karim are the only players from the Missouri Valley Football Conference that are on the watch list.

Coming off a knee injury that cost him the 2008 season, Karim has established himself as one of the top runners in FCS. Karim ranks first nationally in rushing (167 yards per game) and all-purpose yards (228) and is second in kickoff returns (35.1 average).

Karim has helped Southern Illinois to a 4-1 record and a No. 5 national ranking by rushing for 834 yards and eight TDs, and piling up 1,139 all-purpose yards. He also has a kickoff return for a touchdown, giving him nine total touchdowns scored and that is tied for the most in the country.

After rushing for a career-high 273 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-23 victory over Illinois State last week, he was named the Sports Network National Offensive Player of the Week.

The Oklahoma City, Okla. native has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the past four games, becoming just the ninth Saluki to do so. He has a pair of 200-yard rushing games this season, which makes him just the sixth player in school history to rush for over 200 yards twice in a career and only the fifth to do so in the same season.

A total of 20 candidates were announced over the summer. The watch list will be revised again in early November, and again before the final ballot is announced.

Voting from a panel of FCS sports information directors, writers, broadcasters and other football experts will be conducted after the regular season ends. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 30 and will be invited to the 23rd annual Sports Network Awards banquet on Dec. 17 in Chattanooga, Tenn., the night prior to the NCAA Division I championship game. The Eddie Robinson Award (top FCS Coach) and Buck Buchanan Award (top FCS Defensive Player) will also be presented that night.