Sports Briefs

Bull Blast is Saturday at rodeo grounds

The second annual Northern Bull Blast takes place at Bi-Mart Arena in Cheney on Saturday, Aug. 12 at 6:30 p.m.

Contractors will come from several different states and stage a variety of rounds of competition. “There will be a section of mini bulls, too,” spokesperson Colleen Meek wrote in an email.

Admission:is adults: $10, age 6 - 12 $5 and 5 and under free. For more information email Meek at [email protected] or call (208) 755-8070.

Gubrud on Payton watch list

There are at least 5,160 reasons Eastern Washington University’s Gage Gubrud is now among the favorites to win the Walter Payton Award presented by STATS to the top offensive player in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.

The junior quarterback burst on the FCS scene a year ago in his first season as a starter by passing for a FCS record 5,160 yards, to go along with 48 touchdown passes and more than 5,700 yards of total offense. On Wednesday (Aug. 2), STATS named him among the players on the Watch List to win the award after finishing third in the voting a year ago.

Gubrud was joined by Chase Edmonds from Fordham, which hosts EWU in The Bronx, N.Y., on Sept. 16. Edmonds was first in the nation in rushing yards per game (163.5), and second in all-purpose yards per game (194.6) and points per game (10.9). He finished fourth in the voting for last year’s Payton Award, right behind Gubrud.

Three other Big Sky Conference players were also on the list, but EWU will not face them them during the regular season. Northern Arizona quarterback Case Cookus, Lumberjack wide receiver Emmanuel Butler and Cal Poly fullback Joe Protheroe represent league schools not on EWU’s 2017 schedule.