In his first full season as the starting quarterback for Northern Illinois, Jordan Lynch was named MAC Conference Player of the Year on Wednesday.
Lynch is having one of the best seasons in school history. He's thrown for 2,750 yards and 23 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,611 yards and 16 scores. In a victory over Toledo, he became the first player in FBS history to throw for 400 yards and rush for 150 yards. Adding to his accolades, Lynch currently holds the NCAA record for nine-straight 100-yard rushing games.
"Winning the Vern Smith Award is definitely a great accomplished and it definitely wouldn't happen without all of my coaches and teammates," Lynch said in a statement on Monday. "I'm grateful to the MAC coaches. Winning the award shows that your talent, your accomplishments and your hard work doesn't go unnoticed. It shows the respect they have for me as a person and as a player."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
With a victory over Kent State in the MAC championship on Friday, the No. 21 Huskies could find themselves in a BCS Bowl game for the first time in school history.
Other MAC awards were handed out Wednesday afternoon: Kent State head coach Darrell Hazell was named Coach of the Year, Bowling Green defensive tackle Chris Jones won Defensive Player of the Year, Kent State kick returner Dri Archer garnered Special Teams Player of the Year and wide receiver Jaime Wilson took home Freshman of the Year.