FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance was named the winner of the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award on Wednesday, Dec. 11, as the national freshman of the year in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision. He is the first player from the Missouri Valley Football Conference to win the award.

Lance, a 6-foot-3, 221-pound redshirt freshman from Marshall, is also a top-four finalist for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award for the offensive player of the year. The awards will be presented at the STATS FCS awards banquet Friday, Jan. 10, in Frisco, Texas.

Lance ranks first in the FCS in passing efficiency (187.8), first in yards per pass attempt (10.03), third in pass completion percentage (.685), and seventh in total points responsible for (216) through 13 games. He was the first freshman to be named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year and was the fourth to take the league’s Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards.

Lance has attempted a school-record 236 consecutive passes without an interception going 161-for-235 this season for 2,356 yards and 25 touchdowns. He is also NDSU’s second leading rusher with 117 attempts for 829 yards and a team-high 11 TDs for the Bison, who rank first in the FCS in passing efficiency (183.81), second in total offense (488.8 ypg), fourth in rushing offense (298.0 ypg) and fourth in scoring offense (39.8 ppg).

The first NDSU freshman to start a season-opener for the Bison, Lance burst onto the scene against Butler passing for 185 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 116 yards and two scores. He was the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Week for that performance.

He earned a second MVFC Newcomer of the Week honor following a win in the conference opener at Illinois State, where he accounted for 232 yards including 12 of 15 passing for 189 yards and three TDs.

A national panel of 156 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries voted on the Jerry Rice Award following the regular season. Voters selected a Top 5 on their ballot.

— Content courtesy of NDSU Athletic Communications