Northwest Notes: Nov. 28, 2024

Idaho's James-Newby tabbed

for Buchanan Award

Idaho edge rusher Keyshawn James-Newby has been named a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist, the FCS Defensive Player of the Year Award, by Stats Perform.
James-Newby, a senior from Helena, Mont., is without a doubt one of the best defensive players in the country. He leads the Big Sky Conference with 9.0 sacks and is fourth in the Big Sky with 13.0 tackles for loss. He had racked up 10 QB hurries and a pair of forced fumbles this season.
He accomplished all of this despite missing most of the Weber State game and the entire Idaho State game.
Newby is ranked as the ninth-ranked defensive end in all of college football by Pro Football Focus.
Newby shined when the lights were brightest. He racked up 2.0 sacks against Oregon and three against Wyoming. He also had a sack and four QB hurries against Abilene Christian.
He earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors after the Wyoming game.
James-Newby is one of 33 players named to the finalist list, along with two other Big Sky players.

The Vandals finished the regular season with a 9-3 record and earned the No. 8 seed and a first round by into the FCS Playoffs. Idaho will host the winner of the Richmond/Lehigh game at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m

WSU’s Mateer named semifinalist 

for Rose Award

Washington State quarterback John Mateer was one of 16 quarterbacks named a semifinalist for The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, the selection committee announced.

 The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, announced in 2012 by the Tyler Chamber and SPORTyler, recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity; specifically, tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals. 

In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria:  played football and graduated from a Texas High School and/or playing at a four-year Division I Texas college.

The redshirt-sophomore opened the season setting a school record with six total touchdowns in his first career start, the most by any Cougar quarterback in their first career start. 

Mateer followed with another school record in the week two win over Texas Tech, setting the top mark for rushing yards by a quarterback with 197 and added two more rushing touchdowns in the win over Washington in Seattle. 

In the double-overtime win over San Jose State, Mateer became the first player in program history with 300 pass yards and 100 rush yards, recording 501 yards of total offense along the way, the third-best total offense mark in the country this season.