Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch named MAC Player of the Year

Northern Illinois Huskies quarterback Jordan Lynch was named the MAC Player of the Year on Wednesday, capping off an outstanding individual season for the junior from Chicago. The Huskies haven't missed a beat without former standout quarterback Chandler Harnish, and are on the verge of a potential BCS bowl berth if they can beat Kent State in the MAC Championship Game.

Lynch was grateful to receive the award, but also quick to give share the accolades with his teammates:

"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."

Lynch completed over 63% of his passes this year for 2,750 yards, 23 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He also ran for 1,611 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Huskies were the nation's 16th ranked offense in terms of total yards, and that rank goes up to 8th when measured by yards per play. They scored over 40 points per game, and finished the season ranked 11th in the nation in terms of scoring offense.