Eastern Michigan Athletics
Evans is Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week
9/20/2022 2:00:00 PM | Football
Senior bolts for 258 yards on 36 carries as Eagles make history with win at Arizona State
DALLAS, Texas (EMUEagles.com) - Eastern Michigan University running back Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge-Iowa) exploded through the Arizona State defense, rushing for 258 yards on 36 carries as the Eagles pulled off a 30-21 upset in Tempe, Ariz. His career-best numbers for carries and yards that led to the first regular-season win for a Mid-American Conference school over a Pac-12 opponent earned Evans the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Sept. 17.
Evans' 258 rushing yards is the top single-game total by any FBS player this season. The 6-0, 218-pound senior from Crystal Lake, Ill., averaged 7.2 yards per carry and ran for a touchdown in the win, EMU's fourth over a Power 5 opponent on the road in the last six seasons. Evans added a reception for seven yards and returned a kickoff 21 yards to finish the evening with 286 all-purpose yards.
Evans entered the game with a career single-game best of 89 yards rushing against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 2. Against ASU, he ran for 107 yards in the fourth quarter alone, averaging 8.9 yards per carry.
Now now sixth in the FBS with 122.0 yards per game and 11th nationally with 366 rushing yards, Evans leads the MAC and is 18th nationally in all-purpose yards (142.33 per game).
Other candidates for the honor in Week 3 included:
• Mo Ibrahim, Minnesota: The sixth-year senior ran for the Gophers' first three touchdowns in a 49-7 romp over Colorado. He buoyed the nation's top offense with 202 rushing yards on 23 carries, marking the fourth 200-yard game of his career. Ibrahim now owns school records for the most 200-yard games and extended his school record to 12 consecutive 100-yard rushing games (13th of his career) and his third straight multi-touchdown game.
• Bijan Robinson, Texas: The junior rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries as Texas (2-1) rallied from a 17-7 deficit to score a 41-20 win over UTSA. Robinson had touchdown runs of 78 and 42 yards, the longest scoring plays for the season for Texas and the 78-yarder marking the longest of his career. He added one catch for 19 yards to finish with 202 all-purpose yards. It was the third career game for Robinson to rush for three touchdowns.
The Doak Walker Award presented by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum has been awarded to the nation's top running back since 1990. For the first time, the award is recognizing a national running back of the week this season. A select 20-person committee from the award's full voting body of media and past winners chooses the weekly recipient. On July 20, a preseason candidates list was released and semifinalists for the award will be named on Nov. 22. A week later, the three finalists will be announced.
The 2022 Doak Walker Award winner will be unveiled live on The Home Depot College Football Awards, televised by ESPN on Dec. 8. The annual banquet, where the winner and the recipient of the 2022 PwC Doak Walker Legends Award will be honored, will take place in February on the SMU campus.
The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. The NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 800 recipients since 1935.
Visit NCFAA.org for more information.
For more information on the Doak Walker Award, contact Jeff Lockhart (lockhart@smu.edu) at the PwC SMU Athletic Forum, visit doakwalkeraward.com and follow on Twitter at @DoakWalkerAward.
There is no better time to secure your tickets for EMU's upcoming home game against the University at Buffalo, which is set to kick off Saturday, Sept. 24, at noon inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium.
Part of EMU's campus-wide "Family Weekend," the game will feature numerous child-friendly activities (free kids zone, photo opportunities, etc.). The festivities will also include the return of Eastern's annual Beer Fest, where fans can purchase an upgraded ticket package and take home a souvenir beer mug.
New this year, Rynearson Stadium will also host a classic car show during the Buffalo game. Fans can enjoy the hot rods, which will be placed throughout the stadium.
EMU will open its 47th MAC season when the Bulls come to town. It marks just the third-time the Eagles and Bulls have lifted the lid on the conference slate as the pair split the previous two occurrences in 2004 (EMU, 37-34) and 2018 (UB, 35-28). This is the first conference-opening meeting between the pair at Rynearson Stadium since 2004.
For tickets, call the EMU ticket office at 734.487.3669 or visit EMUEagles.com/tickets.
Evans' 258 rushing yards is the top single-game total by any FBS player this season. The 6-0, 218-pound senior from Crystal Lake, Ill., averaged 7.2 yards per carry and ran for a touchdown in the win, EMU's fourth over a Power 5 opponent on the road in the last six seasons. Evans added a reception for seven yards and returned a kickoff 21 yards to finish the evening with 286 all-purpose yards.
Evans entered the game with a career single-game best of 89 yards rushing against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 2. Against ASU, he ran for 107 yards in the fourth quarter alone, averaging 8.9 yards per carry.
Now now sixth in the FBS with 122.0 yards per game and 11th nationally with 366 rushing yards, Evans leads the MAC and is 18th nationally in all-purpose yards (142.33 per game).
Other candidates for the honor in Week 3 included:
• Mo Ibrahim, Minnesota: The sixth-year senior ran for the Gophers' first three touchdowns in a 49-7 romp over Colorado. He buoyed the nation's top offense with 202 rushing yards on 23 carries, marking the fourth 200-yard game of his career. Ibrahim now owns school records for the most 200-yard games and extended his school record to 12 consecutive 100-yard rushing games (13th of his career) and his third straight multi-touchdown game.
• Bijan Robinson, Texas: The junior rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries as Texas (2-1) rallied from a 17-7 deficit to score a 41-20 win over UTSA. Robinson had touchdown runs of 78 and 42 yards, the longest scoring plays for the season for Texas and the 78-yarder marking the longest of his career. He added one catch for 19 yards to finish with 202 all-purpose yards. It was the third career game for Robinson to rush for three touchdowns.
The Doak Walker Award presented by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum has been awarded to the nation's top running back since 1990. For the first time, the award is recognizing a national running back of the week this season. A select 20-person committee from the award's full voting body of media and past winners chooses the weekly recipient. On July 20, a preseason candidates list was released and semifinalists for the award will be named on Nov. 22. A week later, the three finalists will be announced.
The 2022 Doak Walker Award winner will be unveiled live on The Home Depot College Football Awards, televised by ESPN on Dec. 8. The annual banquet, where the winner and the recipient of the 2022 PwC Doak Walker Legends Award will be honored, will take place in February on the SMU campus.
The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. The NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 800 recipients since 1935.
Visit NCFAA.org for more information.
For more information on the Doak Walker Award, contact Jeff Lockhart (lockhart@smu.edu) at the PwC SMU Athletic Forum, visit doakwalkeraward.com and follow on Twitter at @DoakWalkerAward.
There is no better time to secure your tickets for EMU's upcoming home game against the University at Buffalo, which is set to kick off Saturday, Sept. 24, at noon inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium.
Part of EMU's campus-wide "Family Weekend," the game will feature numerous child-friendly activities (free kids zone, photo opportunities, etc.). The festivities will also include the return of Eastern's annual Beer Fest, where fans can purchase an upgraded ticket package and take home a souvenir beer mug.
New this year, Rynearson Stadium will also host a classic car show during the Buffalo game. Fans can enjoy the hot rods, which will be placed throughout the stadium.
EMU will open its 47th MAC season when the Bulls come to town. It marks just the third-time the Eagles and Bulls have lifted the lid on the conference slate as the pair split the previous two occurrences in 2004 (EMU, 37-34) and 2018 (UB, 35-28). This is the first conference-opening meeting between the pair at Rynearson Stadium since 2004.
For tickets, call the EMU ticket office at 734.487.3669 or visit EMUEagles.com/tickets.
Players Mentioned
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