Last Updated on October 18, 2018 7:26 pm
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State sophomore quarterback Zac Thomas was added to the 2018 Watch List for The Manning Award on Thursday.
Created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning, the award is the only one that includes a quarterback's bowl performance in the balloting. App State is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference heading into a Saturday home game against Louisiana.
Thomas ranks in the top 15 nationally in QBR (No. 3), point responsibility per game (No. 9), rushing TDs by a quarterback (No. 9), yards per pass attempt (No. 10), passing efficiency (No. 15) and yards per completion (No. 15). With touchdown runs of 54 and 62 yards in the last two games, he is one of only five FBS quarterbacks with two runs of at least 50 yards this season.
For the year, Thomas has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,040 yards with 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He's also rushed for 233 yards and six touchdowns, putting him at 254.6 total yards per game.
After accounting for 313 total yards and three touchdowns in his first career start, an overtime loss at Penn State, Thomas was named the College Football Performance Award's National Player of the Week by going 14-of-14 passing for 295 yards and three touchdowns through the air at Charlotte. It marked the first time an App State or Sun Belt quarterback had finished a game with at least 10 completions and no incompletions.
Thomas has recorded at least one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown in every game this season.
Finalists for the Manning Award will be determined by a selected panel of national media members covering college football, as well as each of the Mannings. That list will be released on Thursday, Nov. 29, and the winner is scheduled to be announced following the College Football Playoff National Championship.
