EWU receiver Cooper Kupp named Big Sky offensive MVP
Cooper Kupp made more history on Tuesday.
After another record-breaking season, the Eastern Washington junior became only the second wide receiver in 42 years to win the Big Sky Conference’s Offensive MVP award.
“It’s a great honor to be named MVP of a conference that has so many strong teams and players,” said Kupp, who’s the fifth Eagles player in the last six years to win the award.
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. won the honor the two previous years. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell took it in 2011 and running back Taiwan Jones in 2010.
The honor usually goes to a quarterback or running back, but Kupp’s numbers were too good to ignore. He led the Football Championship Subdivision in five categories: receptions (114), receptions per game (10.4), reception yards (1,642), reception yards per game (149.3) and touchdown receptions (19).
The players closest to him in FCS were eight catches, 298 yards and four TDs behind, and in the league the next-best player for catches and yards was teammate Kendrick Bourne (73 catches, 998 yards).
Kupp even passed for a pair of touchdowns this season and had another via punt return, giving him 58 total touchdowns scored and 60 accounted for in his 39-game career (all as a starter).
In just three years, he already ranks second in FCS history in touchdown catches (56, two behind the record), second in reception yards (4,764, 486 behind the record) and fourth in receptions (311, 84 behind the record).
The numbers add up to something special, EWU coach Beau Baldwin said.
“He is one of the smartest and most mature student-athletes I’ve been around, and the best football player I’ve ever coached. And that’s saying a lot,” said Baldwin, who just finished his 22nd season as a collegiate assistant or head coach.
“But it’s true. He’s hands-down the best all-around football player I’ve been lucky enough to be around,” Baldwin said.
All but assured of becoming a three-time, first-team All-America selection, Kupp is one of the top candidates to win the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Award which will be announced in January. Kupp was the 2013 recipient of the Jerry Rice Award presented to the top freshman in FCS.
Since the offensive MVP was first awarded in 1974, only one other wide receiver has won it. That was Idaho’s Eric Yarber in 1985, after a season in which he caught 75 passes for 1,103 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Eight other Eagles were named to All-Big Sky squad. First-tean picks included offensive tackle Clay DeBord and guard Aaron Neary, both seniors.
Selected to the second team were junior wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and junior defensive end Samson Ebukam. Junior defensive tackle Matthew Sommer and senior safety Tod Ranes made the third team.
Sophomore outside linebacker Jake Gall and senior offensive guard Thomas Gomez earned honorable mention.
Southern Utah defensive end James Cowser is the Defensive Player of the Year award after posting 11 sacks and 17 tackles for loss in leading the Big Sky’s top defense.
For the first time in the history of the Freshman of the Year award, the league’s coaches unanimously voted for two players to win the award – Northern Arizona quarterback Case Cookus and North Dakota running back John Santiago.
Portland State quarterback Alex Kuresa is the Newcomer of the Year.