PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network)  Colgate running back Jamaal Branch, Grambling State quarterback Bruce Eugene, and Delaware quarterback Andy Hall have been selected as the top three finalists for the 2003 Walter Payton Award, which will be presented  at the 17th Annual I-AA College Football Awards in Chattanooga, TN, on Dec. 18th. Nearly 100 ballots were cast for the Payton, which goes to I-AAs top player, as well as for the Buck Buchanan Award (I-AA defensive player of the year) and Eddie Robinson Award (I-AA Coach of the Year). Winners of the Buchanan and Robinson will also be announced on Dec. 18th, and the voting breakdown for those awards will not be revealed until that time.

Branch, a junior from Mashpee, MA, rushed for 2,026 yards and 25 touchdowns during the regular season, figures that led all of Division I. Branch helped guide Colgate to an outright Patriot League title and an automatic berth in the I-AA playoffs, where the Raiders were the only undefeated team in the field. Branch and Colgate will face Western Illinois in a quarterfinal matchup this Saturday.

Eugene, a junior from New Orleans, LA, completed 285 of 528 passes for 3,808 yards and 34 touchdowns versus 13 interceptions as Grambling State went 9-3 on the season. Eugene, who also rushed for 412 yards and six scores on the year, leads I-AA in total offense with 351.67 yards per game. The signal-caller finished third in Payton voting as a sophomore last season.

Hall, a senior from Cheraw, SC, passed for 2,285 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just six interceptions while rushing for 630 yards and eight TDs during Delawares 11-1 regular season. Hall, a Georgia Tech transfer who was named Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year in his second year wearing a Blue Hen uniform, led UD to an A-10 co-title and the schools first postseason berth since 2000, in addition to a win over bowl-bound I-A Navy. Delaware takes on Northern Iowa in a playoff quarterfinal tilt this Saturday.

The 2002 Walter Payton Award went to Eastern Illinois quarterback Tony Romo, who is currently on the roster of the NFL Dallas Cowboys. Former winners Brian Westbrook (2001, Villanova, Philadelphia Eagles), Adrian Peterson (1999, Georgia Southern, Chicago Bears), Jerry Azumah (1998, New Hampshire, Chicago Bears), Brian Finneran (1997, Villanova, Atlanta Falcons), and Steve McNair (1994, Alcorn State, Tennessee Titans) are among those serving in the NFL along with Romo.

Voting, which is based on regular season performance only, was conducted among nearly 100 media members and media relations professionals covering I-AA. The top three finalists (in terms of votes received) for the Walter Payton Award are annually invited to attend the presentation of the Awards, with the winner of the Payton not announced until the event. The 17th Annual I-AA College Football Awards will be held Dec. 18th in Chattanooga, TN, on the eve of the NCAA I-AA national championship.