The stretch run of the 2022 FCS season begins in earnest with Week 7, and at this pivotal juncture in the campaign the Colonial Athletic Association boasts standout front-runners for the subdivision's assorted individual honors. 

A CAA representative hasn't won the Walter Payton Award since 2014 when John Robertson claimed the "FCS Heisman" — two years after the Villanova quarterback became the second straight CAA player to win the Jerry Rice Award as top freshman. But since Robertson followed Towson running back Terrance West, the Colonial has been on a decade-long drought for the Jerry Rice Award only exceeded with an 11-year stretch since the league's last Buck Buchanan Award winner. 

New Hampshire linebacker (and current New England Patriots scout) Matt Evans claimed the 2011 Buck Buchanan after picking off three passes, forcing three fumbles and recording an astounding 165 tackles. 

Any of the three dry spells not only could end in 2022, but the CAA may have the leading candidate for each heading into Week 7. 

Walter Payton Award: Jaden Shirden, Monmouth RB 

Despite bearing the name of one of the greatest running backs ever to play the game, Colgate's Jamaal Branch was the last from the position to win the Walter Payton Award way back in 2003. The informal nickname FCS Heisman apparently applies twofold, given how much of a quarterback-focused honor it's become. 

However, there hasn't been a running back quite so head-and-shoulders above his peers as Monmouth's Jaden Shirden has midway through the 2022 campaign. 

Shirden's 932 rushing yards in six games outpace the next-most productive ball-carrier in FCS, East Tennessee State's Jacob Saylors, by 179 yards. He could realistically run for 2,000 yards — a milestone Monmouth back Pete Guerriero came five short of reaching in 2019 — which no one in FCS has accomplished since Kade Harrington went for 2,092 in 2015. 

But where as Hawks predecessor Guerriero and Harrington rushed 298 and 266 times, Shirden would need just 208 carries to surpass 2,000 yards at his current pace of 9.6 yards per carry; a staggering figure without additional context, but particularly noteworthy contrasted with some historical CAA benchmarks from ball-carriers who finished the season ranked in the top 8 for total yards: 

• Brian Westbrook, Villanova, 2001: 6.4 yards per carry 
• Tim Hightower, Richmond, 2007: 5.9 yards per carry 
• Rodney Landers, James Madison, 2008: 6.6 yards per carry 
• Jonathan Grimes, William & Mary, 2011: 5 yards per carry 
• Terrance West, Towson, 2013: 6.1 yards per carry 
• Jacobi Green, Richmond, 2015: 6 yards per carry 
• Khalid Abdullah, James Madison, 2016: 6.1 yards per carry 
• Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks, UAlbany, 2016: 5.6 yards per carry 
• Josh Mack, Maine, 2017: 5.5 yards per carry 
• Percy Agyei-Obese, James Madison, 2019: 4.7 yards per carry 

Really, the only rusher in FCS with an overall workload anywhere close to approaching Shirden's while delivering an output comparable to the Monmouth back is Ed Gowins, who averaged 9.4 yards on 140 carries for Stony Brook when the Seawolves were in the Big South in 2008. 

The lone obvious hinderance to Shirden's Payton Award case to this point is actually one of Monmouth's greatest strengths: The distribution of touchdowns spread between Shirden, Owen Wright and Tony Muskett might dock the Hawks sophomore on some ballots, but it's a contributing factors to the team's success six games into their first CAA season. 

Others to Watch: Delaware QB Nolan Henderson, Richmond QB Reece Udinski, Villanova QB Connor Watkins 

Buck Buchanan Award: John Pius, William & Mary LB

John Pius established himself as a presence in the William & Mary defense from the jump with 39 tackles, 3.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks as a freshman in 2021. His jump in production as a sophomore, however, is nothing short of remarkable. 

Pius made more sacks in one game against Lafayette, 3.5, than he accrued his entire freshman campaign. His performance against the Leopards was just one of four outings this season in which Pius registered more than 1 sacks: He tallied 1.5 at Charlotte, 2 against Campbell, and another 2 in the Tribe's signature win over Delaware. 

John Pius led a @wmTribefootball defense that held the Leopards to 240 total yards, including just 48 in the second half, recorded six sacks and didn’t allow a point over 54 minutes pic.twitter.com/xGANTdvlyM

— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) September 19, 2022

All told, Pius has a nation-leading 9.5 sacks — a full sack-and-a-half more than the next-most prolific pass-rusher in FCS, and 2.5 more than the nation's leader in FBS — and his 14.5 tackles for loss are two more than any other player in Div. I. 

Pius is on the same sack pace that 2021 Buck Buchanan Award winner Isaiah Land produced en route to 19 a season ago. Those were the most sacks in FCS since North Dakota State's Kyle Emanuel record in his Buchanan-winning 2014 campaign, when he registered 19.5 in 16 games. Pius is on pace to surpass both Land and Emanuel in tackles for loss by regular season's end. 

Meanwhile, Pius has shown off his versatility as an integral part of William & Mary's pass defense with three broken-up attempts through six games. 

Others to Watch: Delaware LB Johnny Buchanan, Elon LB Marcus Hillman 

Jerry Rice Award: Reese Poffenbarger, UAlbany QB 

Reese Poffenbarger is stockpiling CAA Freshman of the Week honors seemingly every seven days in a potential foreshadowing of awards season. Only one defensive player — Kennesaw State linebacker Bryson Armstrong — has ever won the Jerry Rice Award; though, a shoutout is in order for New Hampshire defensive end Josiah Silver, who arguably should have a season ago. Regardless and with that in mind, it's likely Poffenbarger's competition will come from the offensive side of the ball. 

Among quarterbacks, Poffenbarger has little competition approaching his statistical output thus far. Poffenbarger's 1,346 passing yards trail Tarleton's Beau Allen, who has 1,545, but the UAlbany quarterback has yet to throw an interception; Allen's thrown five. 

Reese Poffenbarger was 22-of-39 passing for 263 yards and a @ualbanyfootball TD and ran for a career-high 70 yards and a TD on 11 carries pic.twitter.com/CskgTiZ63v

— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) October 10, 2022

In fact, among all FCS quarterbacks, only Walter Payton Award-contending senior Fred Payton of Mercer has thrown more touchdown passes than Poffenbarger's nine without a pick. 

Indeed, Poffenbarger is ahead of the quarterback pack; look for Rice Award competition instead from conference counterpart Jalen Hampton, Elon's breakout star running back; and Saint Francis wide receiver Makai Jackson, whose brother Maurice was an All-American defensive end for Richmond. 

Hampton's rushed for 464 yards and four touchdowns and ranks 20th among all FCS ball-carriers at 92.8 yards per game. 

1st Team All-America Candidates 

In addition to the names mentioned, the CAA is brimming with others who are among the nation's best at their positions midway through this season. CAA Notebook recognizes a few of the standouts making strong cases for 1st Team All-American honors. 

Skyler Davis, Elon PK

In its 30-year history, a kicker from the FCS/former Div. I-AA ranks has never been considered, let alone won, the Lou Groza Award. Historical precedent thus says it's far-fetched to even mention Elon's Skyler Davis in association with the honor given to the top placekicker in college football. 

But if the Groza is indeed intended to reflect the top placekicker in the game, and not just FBS, Elon's all-time career leader in made field goals should be in contention. 

A huge assist from Jason Knavel of Elon sports information for passing along a note about Davis' three made field goals of 51 yards or longer: Not only has no one else in FCS made more than one from that distance, but no other kicker in all NCAA football has connected on as many (Matthew Dapore of Air Force). Coupled with Davis' outstanding kickoff performance, sending 74 percent for touchbacks, he's proven as integral to Elon's defensive success as he is to its scoring. 

Dylan Laube, New Hampshire RB (All-Purpose) 

A true Swiss Army Knife, Dylan Laube takes on multiple responsibilities for New Hampshire and flourishes in each. His 96.2-yard per game rushing output is 19th-most in the country, while his 20.5 yards per punt return leads all of Div. I. 

Coupled with his activity in the Wildcats passing game as a reliable receiver, Laube ranks second in all of FCS with 167.5 all-purpose yards per game. 

Colby Sorsdal, William & Mary OL 

The outstanding William & Mary rushing attack, ranked seventh in the nation at 246 yards per game, is due in no small part to the outstanding play up front. Veteran Colby Sorsdal has paved the way as the Tribe's leading offensive lineman, moving bodies to open holes for Bronson Yoder, Malachi Imoh and company. 

In Imoh's three-touchdown performance Oct. 1 at Stony Brook, big No. 65 Sorsdal can be seen rendering Seawolves defenders non-factors on big running plays. 

And in terms of pass protection, William & Mary has allowed just five sacks all season to rank fifth in the nation; Sorsdal's a key reason why.