Southern Utah RB Named Finalist For Major FCS Award

The Walter Payton Award isn't just recognizable for the name attached to it.

First awarded in 1987, it signifies the FCS national offensive player of the year, making it one of the most notable honors in FCS football.

The award is determined by a national panel of over 150 sports personalities ranging from writers, directors, broadcasters and the like and is based on the efforts and showing of each candidates regular season results.

Named after pro football hall of fame running back, Walter Payton, who began his collegiate career at the FCS level with Jackson State, the award is given out the night prior to the FCS championship game as a winner is selected out of 35 nominees.

Some of the most notable names who have taken home this award are Steve McNair, Brian Westbrook, Tony Romo, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Cooper Kupp.

It was announced today, the 26^th of November, the 35 hopefuls who could have their name in the award history books for the 2024 season.

Among them was Southern Utah University’s very own Targhee Lambson, the T-Bird running back who torched opposing defenses all season long.

Suiting up all 12 games this season for SUU, Lambson recorded a work horse load of 320 carries (26.6 tries a game), rushing for 1,922 yards (160.2 yards per game) at 6 yards a carry.

Lambson often finished what he started ending the 7-5 SUU season with 23 rushing touchdowns.

The stat line itself is incredibly impressive, but let me paint a broader picture here of why Lambson has a real shot at winning this award.

The former Snow College Badger led all FCS players in rush yards, and by a healthy margin, at 172 more yards than the 2^nd place running back.

Those 23 rushing touchdowns are 2^nd best in the FCS only two behind Monmouth’s Sone Ntoh, who was not a nominee as he only ran for 487 yards this season, a massive 1,435 yards less than Lambson.

With Ntoh not in the running for the award, Lambson had 5 more touchdowns than the next closest candidate, and 590 more yards to boot, making the running back department a “no contest”.

Lambson was no touchdown vulture, clearly establishing himself as the work horse, the bell cow, the heart and soul of the Thunderbird offense, making him the most deserving back of the bunch.

Not only was he making waves on the national scene but his abilities will be felt in Cedar City for years to come as Lambson became the best running back in Southern Utah history.

With the most rush attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in school history, Lambson is now the player every T-Bird running back from here on out will try to be.

Only two times this season did Lambson rush for less than 150 yards, once against Utah where he only touched the football six times and still had 44 yards and once in a win over West Georgia where he churned out 135 yards and two touchdowns.

That leaves ten games left where Lambson eclipsed 150 yards with his season high being a 217 yard outburst against Tarleton State, another two touchdown performance.

Speaking of two touchdown outings, Lambson had 2 or more scores in 9 of 12 games, including 3 games with three trips into the endzone.

Only once did Targhee not hit paydirt and it came in a 49-0 loss to Utah, the opener in Salt Lake City.

11 times in 12 games, Targhee impacted the scoreboard, an impressive feat no doubt.

How he fares is to be seen as the panel looks at players like Eastern Washington wide receiver, Efton Chism III, (120 receptions, 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns) or Montana State’s quarterback, Tommy Mellott (33 total touchdowns to 1 interception) among other deserving candidates.

Whether Targhee secures the award or not, the nomination plants him firmly as one of the most influential and impactful players of the 2024 FCS season, and in SUU history, as the T-Birds are well represented by the senior out of Spanish Fork.