Oct. 27, 2005
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This Week's Action - Oct. 29
#10 Cal Poly (5-2, 3-0 GWFC) at UC Davis (4-3, 2-1 GWFC) -- Davis, Calif. -- 1 p.m.
The Aggies play their annual homecoming game and face their second consecutive ranked team when the No. 10 Cal Poly Mustangs visit Toomey Field in a Great West Football Conference matchup ... The Mustangs come into "The Horseshoe Classic" as the only team in the GWFC with an unbeaten league mark and can clinch at least a tie for the title with a win ... With an upset, UC Davis would move into a first-place tie with Cal Poly with one conference game remaining ... Cal Poly is defending GWFC champion ... The Aggies are also looking to move a step closer to securing a possible 36th consecutive winning season, a goal that took serious hits after an 0-2 start ... However, winning four of their past five games has made the goal a more realistic possibility ... The matchup features two of the top I-AA defenses with UC Davis sporting the 15th-best average in total defense (285.4 ypg) and Cal Poly ranking 17th (298.7) ... The Mustangs also feature the leading pass rusher in I-AA in defensive end Chris Gocong (11.5 sacks) ... Scoring is also tough to do against these teams with UC Davis (8th, 15.1) and Cal Poly (17.4, 15t) both ranking high ... Wide receiver Tony Kays looks to continue his quest to be the all-time single-season leader for receptions after securing the regular-season record last week ... With five catches at North Dakota State, he broke the previous mark of 55 (WR Charley Enos, 2000 & 2001) and now has 58 ... Wide receiver Michael Oliva had 75 in 13 games in 2001 for the overall mark ... The Aggies have won five of the past seven meetings with Cal Poly, however, the visiting team has captured the win each of the past five games ... Of the 2005 opponents, the Aggies have only played Sacramento State (53 games) more times than Cal Poly (30 games) ... UC Davis holds a 15-13-2 lead in the all-time series which began in 1939 (W,28-0) ... The Aggies have won five of the past seven meetings after losing two straight in 1996 and 1997 ... As noted above, however, the visiting team has been victorious each of the past five meetings ... UC Davis is 8-5-2 against the Mustangs at Toomey Field ... The rivals engaged in a classic battle last year in San Luis Obispo after the then-unbeaten Mustangs entered the game ranked No. 5 nationally ... Cal Poly led 33-28 in the final minutes, but UC Davis drove to the Mustangs' 14 where Jon Grant hit Tony Kays for the game-winning score with 13 seconds remaining ... Grant threw for a career-best 393 yards in the matchup as the teams combined for 971 yards of total offense ... Cal Poly QB Anthony Garnett threw for 377 yards and four touchdowns ... After opening with a loss at Division I-A Troy State, the Mustangs rattled five straight wins before losing at No. 9 Montana last weekend ... Anthony Garnett, who has thrown for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns, and rushed for 155 yards and seven touchdowns, was injured near the end of the game and is not expected to play this week... Either Matt Brennan or John Mende is expected to assume signal-caller duties ... The pair has combined for just 16 passes and 68 yards ... The Mustangs feature a potent running attack which averages 182.3 ypg, including 119.7 ypg from running back James Noble ... Noble has also scored five touchdowns for Cal Poly, which is averaging 29.1 ppg and 338.9 ypg of total offense ... Wide receiver Ramses Barden leads three receivers with at least 14 catches this year... Barden leads the way with 17 for 325 yards, also having scored five times... Defensively, the Mustangs feature one of the top squads in I-AA... Defensive end Chris Gocong leads the nation in sacks, averaging 1.64 for a total of 11.5 for the season... Gocong has 49 total tackles and 14.0 tackles-for-losses... The Mustangs overall have 30 sacks on the season and have only allowed four... Linebacker Kyle Shotwell leads the team with 80 total tackles while cornerback Courtney Brown has a team-best four interceptions... The Mustangs are 15th in I-AA in scoring defense (17.4 ppg) and 17th in total defense (298.7)... Punter Tim Chicoine is one of the country's best, averaging 44.7 yards per kick to rank second in I-AA.
North Dakota State (4-3, 0-2 GWFC) at Southern Utah (1-5, 1-1 GWFC) -- Cedar City, Utah -- 6 p.m.
Southern Utah's football team remains home for its second straight contest in Eccles Coliseum Saturday after spending five of the first six competitive weekends away from home ... This week the Thunderbirds host North Dakota State ... Last Saturday Southern Utah (1-5, 1-1 GWFC) rallied in the fourth quarter for the second straight week, but this time the Thunderbirds' efforts were rewarded as the team came back for a 20-17 overtime win over Northern Colorado ... SUU tied the game at 17-17, forcing overtime, then prevailed in the extra-session when Brandon Perkins' 43-yard field goal split the uprights to give the `Birds the win ... North Dakota State (4-3, 0-2 GWFC) is coming off its first home loss of the season, a 20-14 GWFC setback against UC Davis. The Bison have now lost two in a row after falling at Cal Poly 37-6 Oct. 8. NDSU had a bye Oct. 15 ... Saturday's game will mark just the second meeting between the two schools. NDSU holds a 1-0 edge in the series which began with a 27-21 Bison win in Fargo, N.D. last year ... Punter Brandon Perkins ranks 13th in the nation with an average of 41.17 yards per punt, while on the defensive side of the ball Brian Majors is 29th in passes defended with an average of 1.2 per game ... Wide receiver Jerome Eason is knocking on the door of the top-50 as well, ranking 51st with an average of 4.6 receptions per game ... After a somewhat slow start to his season, Eason has been showing the form that earned him first-team all-GWFC honors last season ... He has led the team in receptions and receiving yardage the past two games and has reached the end zone three times, with two TDs at UC Davis and another last week vs. Northern Colorado ... Eason pulled in a team season-high seven passes at UC Davis and again vs. UNC ... His catches went for 91 yards and two touchdowns at UCD and 66 yards and one score vs. Northern Colorado ... His effort vs. Davis marked his highest reception and TD total since a 10-catch, three-TD effort last year at Stephen F. Austin ... Linebacker Steve Smith had some big shoes to fill after moving from safety to take over at two-time all-American Nick DiPadova's outside linebacker spot. Smith, who has finished among the team's top tacklers the last three season ... UC Davis handed North Dakota State its first homecoming loss since 1998 with a 20-14 setback before 16,193 fans at the Fargodome last Saturday ... NDSU had won four straight games at the Fargodome since the 13-10 loss to Cal Poly in 2004 ... Wide receiver Marques Johnson matched a career-high seven passes for 89 yards and is No. 4 all-time in pass receptions with 95, passing Stacy Robinson (88, 1982-84) and Chuck Wald (91, 1967-69) ... Punter Mike Dragosavich boomed six punts for 51.2 yards per kick including one inside the 20-yard line and a pair of touchbacks ... UC Davis blocked a punt in the third quarter, the first against NDSU this season and first since the Cal Poly (10-23-04) loss in 2004 ... Dragosavich's 45.1 average this season would rank No. 2 in NCAA Division I-AA statistics ... North Dakota State quarterback Steve Walker is No. 29 in I-AA pass efficiency with a 133.6 rating ... Walker has completed 88 of 160 passes for 1,184 yards, 11 TDs and five interceptions this season ... With eight interceptions and seven fumble recoveries, North Dakota State's defense has forced the issue ... The result has been a plus-1.14 turnover margin, which is tied for fifth in I-AA football ... The Bison defense is No. 6 in pass defense (138 ypg), No. 7 in scoring defense (14.9 ppg), No. 14 in total defense (279.14 ypg) and No. 18 in pass efficiency defense (105.02) ... Linebackers Joe Mays and Kole Zimmerman both have two interceptions this season ... Mays has a team-high 67 tackles, including four solo stops, and also leads the team in TFLs with 8.5 and co-leads the squad in sacks with 3.0.#19/20 Georgia Southern (5-3) at South Dakota State (4-3, 1-1 GWFC) -- Brookings, S.D. -- 1 p.m.
Fans in South Dakota fans will have an opportunity to see one of the perennial powers in Division 1AA football in action Saturday when South Dakota State University hosts Georgia Southern ... The Eagles have been a dominate force behind a devastating running game. They are 5-3 this year, after defeating The Citadel 49-14 last week, SDSU is 4-3 following its 64-28 victory over Division II Missouri-Rolla at the Jackrabbit homecoming ... The Jacks set school single-game records for rushing yards (567) and total offense (689) against Rolla, with three running backs (Cory Koenig 184, Trevor Hohn 161, and Anthony Watson 117) going over 100 yards ... But when it comes to running the ball, few do it better than Georgia Southern. They're getting 363.5 yards per game rushing and scoring 34.5 points per game ... Eighteen different players have carried the ball but their top two are both within easy striking distance of 1,000 yards for the season: fullback Jermaine Austin with 993 yards, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, and quarterback Jayson Foster w
ith 913 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry with 13 TDs ... Koenig. a sophomore, leads the Jacks with 744 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per carry and 106.3 yards per game. Watson, a junior, has 532 yards, at 7.7 ypc, and Hohn, a sophomore, has 294, at 9.8 ypc ... Watson, with 532 yards this season, has passed Joe Thorne (2,156), Paul Klinger (2,161) and Rick Wegher (2,293) to move into fifth place on the SDSU career rushing list and is now just four yards shy of fourth place Darwin Gonnerman (2,598, 1966-68) ... He posted the 13th 100-yard rushing day of his career with a 117 yard effort on 11 carries vs. Missouri-Rolla ... Cal Poly snapped SDSU's stadium win streak at ten straight ...So the Jacks are now 11-1 at home since losing to UND 25-24 at home in 2003 ... The Jacks won their last four home games in 2003, all four games last season, and the first two this year ... the previous record of seven was set when SDSU won the last three in 1962 and all four in 1963 ...Fort Lewis College (5-3, 5-2 RMAC) at Northern Colorado Bears (2-4, 0-2 Great West) -- Greeley, Colo. -- 1 p.m.
The University of Northern Colorado Bears football team will take to the field Saturday for its annual Homecoming game ... The Bears will take on the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks for the first time since Sept. 19, 1970 ... Fort Lewis enters the game with a record of 5-3 overall and 5-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference ... The Skyhawks knocked off Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday by the count of 28-22 ... Northern Colorado is coming off an overtime loss at Southern Utah ... It's the ninth meeting with Northern Colorado leading the series, 5-3 ... Northern Colorado has won the past four meetings between the two schools, but they have not met since Sept. 19, 1970 ... The Bears hold a 3-1 series lead in games played in Greeley ... Prior to last season's Homecoming loss to Florida Atlantic, the Bears had won 13 straight Homecoming games ... Northern Colorado has a 9-1 record in Homecoming games at Nottingham Field ... Northern Colorado football fans will recognize a familiar face in the stands and during the halftime ceremonies on Saturday ... Former head coach Joe Glenn is being recognized by the UNC Alumni Association as an Honored Alumni ... Glenn was the head coach of the Bears from 1989-1999 and compiled a record of 98-35 during that span ... Northern Colorado also captured two national titles in 1996 and 1997 during Glenn's reign in Greeley ... Glenn is now the head football coach at the University of Wyoming ... Junior running back Andre Wilson tallied the 9th-highest single-game rushing total in UNC history on Saturday ... Wilson rushed 29 times for 202 yards and a touchdown against Southern Utah ... Wilson also had a career-long 63-yard run against the Thunderbirds ... Wilson ranks No. 4 in the nation in rushing yards per game at 137.4 per game ... Wilson became only the sixth running back in Northern Colorado history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in his career when he rushed for 116 yards against Portland State ... Wilson has rushed for 2,389 career yards and trails Jim Bright (No. 4 on the Bears' list) by 227 yards. Billy Holmes is UNC's all-time leading rusher with 3,519 yards.
Last Week's Action - Oct. 22
Southern Utah 20, Northern Colorado 17 (OT)
Southern Utah finally broke into the winner's column, both for the season and against Northern Colorado, Saturday night but it wasn't easy as the Thunderbirds posted a come-from-behind 20-17 overtime win over the Bears in Great West Football Conference action.
Coming into the game the Thunderbirds were trying to shake a five-game losing streak and were also winless in two tries against UNC. Both of those streaks ended however, when Brandon Perkins' 43-yard field goal into the wind sailed true in the first overtime period.
Southern Utah forced the extra period when Zac Connors hit Jerome Eason on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 4:15 remaining in the game. Both teams had opportunities to win it in regulation, but Northern Colorado hurt itself with three penalties and Southern Utah failed to pick up a first down on its final possession of regulation.
In overtime Southern Utah won the toss and elected to begin on defense. UNC wound up losing two yards on its opening drive and opted to attempt a field goal, but the snap was bad and holder Zac Carlson's desperation pass fell incomplete. Southern Utah then opted to run three straight times before going for the kick and the strategy paid off.
Jamar Lee rushed for a career-high 85 yards and a score as Southern Utah piled up a season-best 131 rushing yards but Northern Colorado's Andre Wilson, the fourth-leading ground gainer in I-AA, stole the show, running for 202 yards and a touchdown. Connors won the battle of the passers, whoever, completing 23-of-40 attempts for 179 yards and a score while UNC's T.J. Swenson was 11-23 for 155 yards and a touchdown.
The game was just the third overtime game in SUU history, but the second extra-session affair in Great West action as the Thunderbirds topped South Dakota State, also at home, by a 23-17 count in double-overtime last year. SUU also lost a 42-34 overtime game at Hampton in 2000.
UC Davis 20, #16/17 North Dakota State 14
UC Davis held a 20-0 lead near the midway point of the fourth quarter, but had to hold off a North Dakota State University rally as the Aggies defeated NDSU 20-14 in a Great West Football Conference game played before 16,193 fans at the Fargodome. The Bison lost their first homecoming game since 1998 when Northern Colorado turned the trick 29-19.
UC Davis led 3-0 at halftime on Emmanuel Benjamin's 44-yard field goal with 11 seconds left. Jon Grant scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 30-yards to extend the Aggies' lead to 17-0 with 1:08 left in the third quarter. Benjamin then nailed a 32-yard field goal with 8:27 left to make it a 20-0 cushion.
However, North Dakota State stormed back. Steve Walker threw a 28-yard TD pass to John Majeski to whittle the deficit to 20-7 with 5:56 remaining. NDSU's Kole Heckendorf recovered an onside kick but the ball went back to UC Davis on an interception. The Bison held and then covered 93 yards in 30 seconds capped by Walker's 39-yard scoring strike to Marques Johnson in the right corner of the end zone that made it 20-14 with 3:10 left. The Aggies then recovered another onside kick, picked up a first down and ran out the clock.
Defense and special teams were important in the UC Davis win. Nolan de Graaff's blocked punt and eventual recovery led to Grant's first of two touchdown runs. Two interceptions by Nevan Bergan stopped a pair of Bison scoring drives, while Adam Cook came up with another. The Aggies also came up with four sacks of Walker.
Both teams struggled to move the ball and had under 300 yards of total offense. UC Davis had 106 yards rushing and 292 yards of total offense compared to NDSU with 3 yards rushing and 295 yards of total offense. The Aggies converted 13 of 20 third down situations, while the Bison were 3 of 14. UC Davis lost the ball twice on fumbles.
Grant completed 24 of 38 passes for 186 yards, and also rushed nine times for 41 yards. DeMario Warren gained 51 yards on 12 carries. Blaise Smith was a favorite target, catching seven passes for 63 yards, while Warren made six catches for 39 yards.
Walker completed 22 of 42 passes for 292 yards, two TDs and three interceptions. All of Walker's statistics were career highs. Johnson caught seven passes for 89 yards to move to No. 4 all-time at NDSU in pass receptions (95). Heckendorf hauled in five passes for 97 yards.
Joe Mays led the North Dakota State defense with 13 tackles including nine solo stops, three tackles for loss and a pair of quarterback hurries. Kole Zimmerman finished with 11 tackles including six solos, one tackle for loss and forced fumble. Craig Dahl and Nick Compton each recovered a fumble.
#9/10 U. of Montana 36, #3 Cal Poly 27
Tyler Johnson, J.R. Waller and Lex Hilliard scored touchdowns as No. 9 Montana outscored No. 3 Cal Poly 19-3 in the final 27 minutes en route to a 36-27 victory in a non-conference Division I-AA football game Saturday afternoon at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Hilliard rushed for a career-high 237 yards on 34 carries, scoring the clinching touchdown on a 21-yard run with 33 seconds to play, as Montana improved to 5-2 on the season. Cal Poly, which had a five-game winning streak snapped, fell to 5-2.
Cal Poly built a 24-17 lead in the third quarter, scoring the first 10 points of the period to overcome a 17-14 halftime deficit.
Nick Coromelas tied the game with a 40-yard field goal and Anthony Garnett gave Cal Poly a seven-point lead with a 39-yard scoring pass to Ramses Barden with 12:16 to go in the third quarter.
But the Mustangs were held to just three points the rest of the way -- a 41-yard field goal by Coromelas with 12:26 to go in the game.
That gave Cal Poly a 27-24 advantage, but Montana answered with a six-yard run by Waller and Hilliard's clinching 21-yard run.
Mustang freshman running back James Noble garnered his fourth career 100-yard game, rushing for 144 yards on 22 carries. Garnett completed 15 of 23 passes for 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both to Barden. Barden finished with five catches for 125 yards.
Cal Poly jumped to a 7-0 lead on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Garnett to Barden. A 10-yard reverse run around left end by Jonah Russell enabled Cal Poly to tie the game at 14-14 shortly before halftime.
The game was marred by nine turnovers -- five by Montana -- and Cal Poly, which averaged less than four penalties a game, was penalized 12 times for 104 yards. Cal Poly is 0-10 in its series with Montana and Mustang coach Rich Ellerson suffered his first loss after a bye week (6-1).
Defensive leaders for Cal Poly were linebacker Kyle Shotwell with a career-high 17 tackles and free safety Kenny Chicoine with 11. Nose tackle Chris White recorded the lone Mustang sack while Courtney Brown and Shotwell both had interceptions.
South Dakota State 64, Missouri-Rolla 28
South Dakota State set single-game school records for yards rushing and total offense as the Jacks defeated Missouri-Rolla 64-28, also setting a record for the most points scored in a Hobo Day game at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. The 92nd Hobo Day game drew 14,503 fans despite 45 degree temperatures with a morning snow which blanketed the field in white.
The Jacks had three backs rush for over 100 yards and gained 567 yards rushing enroute to 689 yards total offense. That breaks the SDSU single game record of 532 yards rushing against Augustana in 1952 and 682 yards total offense set against Wayne State in 1999.
SDSU's trio of Cory Koenig,Trevor Hohn and Anthony Watson accounted for 462 yards and five touchdowns for the Jacks, who topped the previous Hobo Day record of 61 in a shutout victory over USD in 1963.
Koenig, sophomore from Underwood, IA, rushed 15 times for 184 yards including touchdowns of runs of 14 and 15 yards. Hohn, sophomore from Mitchell, gained 161 yards on just six carries (26.8 ypc) with one touchdown, a 64-yard run in the fourth quarter. And Anthony Watson, junior from Worthington, MN, picked up 117 yards on 11 carries including touchdowns of 5 and 3 yards.
Three other players added touchdowns while Parker Douglass kicked field goals of 29, 27 and 27 yards. Sophomore quarterback Reed Burckhardt added an 8-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, Chris Molitor scored on a 6-yard pass from Ryan Berry in the second quarter, and Chris Wagner scored on a 10-yard pass from Burckhardt in the third period.
Douglass, the sophomore from Columbus, NE, had his string of consecutive extra points end at 52. He suffered the first missed PAT of his career in the fourth quarter, ending a string of 23 in a row this season to go with his 29-for-29 performance as a freshman.
Jackrabbit starting quarterback Andy Kardoes, who has been nursing an ankle injury most of the season, played just one series before going to the sideline. Berry, redshirt freshman from Watertown, came in and was 8-for-14 passing for 77 yards while rushing 7 times for 44 yards, and Burckhardt, the sophomore from Russell, MN, finished 4-for-8 passing for 45 yards and had one rush for 8 yards.
UMR quarterback Evan Gray tied the Miners' single-game record by passing for four touchdowns as he finished 27-of-46 for 335 yards. That boosted his season total to 21 TDs, a UMR record. His touchdowns covered 51 and 23 yards to Brandon Landry and 14 and 77 yards to Ashton Gronewald. UMR, a Division II independent, finished with 353 yards passing and 388 yards total offense.
Cornerback Jeff Hegge, like Berry a former Watertown Arrow, led the Jacks with nine tackles, including four solos. Linebacker Billy Ray Kirch had eight stops and two passes broken up. Twenty-three players had tackles for the Jacks, who had sacks by Gabe Koenigsfeld and Hank Goff.
The Notebook
Doughty One of 16 Finalists for "Draddy Trophy", Academic Heisman
University of Northern Colorado senior football student-athlete Reed Doughty has been named as one of 16 finalists for the prestigious Draddy Trophy. The 16 finalists were narrowed down from a pool of 184 nominees that included Great West Football Conference players Four other GWFC players were Cal Poly linebacker
Tom Curiel, South Dakota State free safety Mitch Klein, Southern Utah linebacker Steve Smith and North Dakota State linebacker Kole Zimmerman.Each finalist will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship, and one of the 16 will be announced as the winner of the 2005 the Draddy Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Established to honor former NFF Chairman Vincent dePaul Draddy, a Manhattan College quarterback who developed the Izod and Lacoste brands, the award comes with a stunning 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the recipient's scholarship to a total of $25,000.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. With a 3.7 average GPA, 14 of the players have earned all-conference recognition on the field and 14 of them have serve as captains of their teams.
"We take great pride in providing each member of the scholar-athlete class with a coveted $18,000 scholarship for their post-graduate studies," said NFF President Steven J. Hatchell. "They have set the standard for their teammates and for all who play sports. By highlighting their achievements, we hope to inspire all student-athletes to higher levels of achievement in all aspects of their lives, especially the next generation of players."
Selected by the NFF Awards Committee, comprised of former coaches, Hall of Famers and college administrators, the 16 National Scholar-Athlete Award recipients will be honored at the 48th NFF Awards Dinner on December 6 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program is the first initiative in history to credit a football player for both academic and athletic accomplishments.
DIVISION I-A
AWARDEE, SCHOOL, POS., MAJOR, HOMETOWN
Josh Betts, Miami Ohio), QB, Finance, Vandalia, Ohio
David Castillo, Florida State, C, Exercise Science / Dietetics, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Greg Eslinger, Minnesota, C Health & Wellness Minneapolis, Minn.
Grayling Love, Arizona State, OL, Business Finance, Tempe, Ariz.
Garrett Mills, Tulsa, TE, Management, Tulsa, Okla.
Rudy Niswanger, Louisiana State, OL, Kinesiology, Baton Rouge, La.
DeMeco Ryans, Alabama, LB, Management, Bessemer, Ala.
Bradley Smith, Missouri, QB, Business Admin. / Marketing, Liberty, Ohio
DIVISION I-AA
Reed Doughty, Northern Colorado, FS, Sport & Exercise Sci., Johnstown, Colo.
Nick Hartigan, Brown, RB, Political Science & History, Fairfax, Va.
DIVISION II
Cory Cangelosi, Central Arkansas, DB, Speech Communications, Mandeville, La.
Ryan Koch, St. Cloud State, WR, Computer Science, Madison, Wis.
DIVISION III
Chris Edwards, Wash. & Jeff., QB, Cell/Molecular Biology, Uniontown, Ohio
Matt Hawn, Saint John's (MN), FB, Biology/Pre-Dentistry, Eau Claire, Wis.
Santo Maimone, Case Western Reserve, CB, Chemistry/Anthropology, Eastlake, Ohio
NAIA
Tyler Emmert, Carroll College (MT), QB, Civil Engineering, Helena, Mont.
Cal Poly's Gocong, Northern Colorado's Doughty on Updated TSN "Buchanan Battle" List Released Oct. 12
An updated list of 32 players has been established by The Sports Network, I-AA college football's most widely recognized information service, indicating the current and official "Payton Watch" and "Buchanan Battle" members and features two Great West Football Conference players -- Cal Poly senior defensive end
Chris Gocong and University of Northern Colorado senior safety Reed Doughty.The "Payton Watch" and "Buchanan Battle" pages, which can be found at The Sports Network's website -- www.sportsnetwork.com -- keep track of the quest for the 19th Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the top player in I-AA football, and the 11th Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the top defensive player in I-AA. The honors will be presented at the 19th annual I-AA College Football Awards on Dec. 15 in Chattanooga, Tenn., on the eve of the 2005 I-AA National Championship. The Eddie Robinson Award, honoring I-AA's top coach, and the Sports Network Cup, bestowed upon the nation's best I-AA mid-major program, will also be presented on Dec. 15th.
The official "Payton Watch" and "Buchanan Battle" lists will undergo two additional revisions prior to the distribution of ballots on Nov. 21. The next change will be made on Nov. 2, and the final changes will be made just prior to the distribution of ballots. The ballots will be mailed electronically to the media and I-AA sports information directors selected for the voting process on Nov. 21, and will be due Wednesday, November 23rd. The top three finalists (in terms of votes received) for the Walter Payton Award will be invited to attend the presentation in Chattanooga, Tenn., with the winner of that Award not announced until the event.
Following are the 32 current members of both the "Payton Watch" and "Buchanan Battle" lists:
"Payton Watch" Candidates (Oct, 12)
Jermaine Austin, RB, Georgia Southern
David Ball, WR, New Hampshire
*Omar Cuff, RB, Delaware
Clifton Dawson, RB, Harvard
Bruce Eugene, QB, Grambling State
Nick Hartigan, RB, Brown
Lex Hilliard, RB, Montana
Travis Lulay, QB, Montana State
Ingle Martin, QB, Furman
Erik Meyer, QB, Eastern Washington
*Barrick Nealy, QB, Texas State
*Joe Rubin, RB, Portland State
Joel Sambursky, QB, Southern Illinois
Ricky Santos, QB, New Hampshire
*Steve Silva, RB, Holy Cross
Richie Williams, QB, Appalachian State
"Buchanan Battle" Candidates (Oct. 12)
Maurice Bennett, LB, Lafayette
*Jeff Charleston, DE, Idaho State
*Zak DeOssie, LB, Brown
Reed Doughty, S, Northern Colorado
Justin Durant, LB, Hampton
Brady Fosmark, DE, Weber State
William Freeman, LB, Furman
Chris Gocong, DE, Cal Poly
*Brent Hawkins, DE, Illinois State
*Brian Hulea, LB, Villanova
Shannon James, S, Massachusetts
Tony LeZotte, S, James Madison
*Marques Murrell, DE, Appalachian State
*Chad Nkang, LB, Elon
David Pittman, CB, Northwestern State
Antonio Thomas, CB, Western Kentucky
* = new candidate
Northern Colorado's Reed Doughty To Play in Las Vegas Bowl
University of Northern Colorado free safety Reed Doughty has been selected to take part in the Las Vegas All-American Classic on Jan. 14, 2006, in Las Vegas, Nev. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net at 2 p.m. (Central).
Doughty currently leads NCAA I-AA football in total tackles with 76 stops He is also a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the nation's best I-AA defensive player.
"I am honored to be have been selected to participate in this all-star game," Doughty said. "The opportunity to play in front of NFL scouts against some of the nation's best players is a great one for myself and for the University of Northern Colorado football program."