CHARLESTON, S.C. – After leading his team to the FCS National Championship game, a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship and breaking several records along the way, Illinois State junior running back Marshaun Coprich was named the winner of the 2014 College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) Running Back Award Tuesday.
Coprich finished the 2014 season with a nation-best 2,274 rushing yards and 27 rushing touchdowns on 370 carries in 15 games for the Redbirds and ranked second in the FCS with 151.6 rushing yards per game. The Redbirds averaged 5.7 yards per carry for the season, second best in the FCS.
The Victorville, California, native earned first-team All-America honors from The Sports Network and The Associated Press and was named to the 2014 Walter Camp Football FCS All-America team. The 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year is the first Redbird in school history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season and is one of just three backs in ISU history to rush for over 3,000 yards in his career.
In 2014, Coprich set school single-season records for rushing yards (2,274), rushing attempts (370), rushing touchdowns (27), rushing yards per game (151.6), all-purpose yards (2,328), points scored (162) and total touchdowns scored (27). He also currently ranks second in school history with 3,229 rushing yards, 473 yards behind Toby Davis (3,702) in first place and also trails Davis (37) in career rushing touchdowns by just one at 36.
The CFPA is in its seventh year of providing player and team performance awards at the national level. Coprich is the second Redbird to earn CFPA honors, following Colton Underwood who earned defensive end honors following the 2012 season. A total of 28 individual CFPA winners have been first-round NFL Draft selections.
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