11/20/09- Pat Angerer, rSr, Iowa, 6-0, 235 2009 BRONKO NAGURSKI AWARD FINALIST: Iowa senior Pat Angerer was named one of five finalists for the 2009 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Thursday. The award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive player, is voted on by the Football Writers Association of America. Angerer leads Iowa with 119 tackles this season after collecting a team high 107 stops a year ago. The senior from Bettendorf earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors in September after collecting 14 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble in the Hawkeyes’ win over Penn State. On Nov. 5, Angerer was named a semifinalist for the 2009 Chuck Bednarik Award, which also recognizes the nation’s top defensive player. Tennessee strong safety Eric Berry, Alabama defensive tackle Terrence Cody, Texas Christian defensive end Jerry Hughes, and Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh join Angerer as finalists for the Bronko Nagurski award. The winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy will be announced on Dec. 7. - The Daily Iowan
11/20/09- Jerome Pinckney, Sr, Southern Connecticut State, 5-11, 240 2009 EAST COAST ALL-STAR BOWL INVITE: Three members of the Southern Connecticut State University football team – seniors Jarom Freeman (Peekskill, N.Y.), Martin Manson (Bloomfield, Conn.) and Jerome Pinckney (Ellenwood, Ga.) – have been selected to take part in this year’s East Coast Bowl. The game, which will be played in Petersburg, Va. on Saturday, November 28, annually features the best Division I-FCS, II, III and NAIA players in the nation. Pinckney was lauded with All-Conference honors for the second year in a row. He ranked second on the team in five categories – tackles (79), tackles for loss (7.5), sacks (three), passes defended (four) and interceptions (two). Pinckney actually tallied 12 more tackles this year than last season, when he was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. He was also an All-New England and All-ECAC selection as a junior. - Southern Connecticut State football
11/20/09- Nick Thomas, So, Wayne State (MI), 6-2, 237 2009 ALL-GLIAC SECOND TEAM: LB Nick Thomas, Wayne State, So., has been selected All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Second Team for the 2009 college football season in balloting conducted by the league’s head coaches. - GLIAC football
11/20/09- Rolando McClain, Jr, Alabama, 6-4, 256 Alabama’s Rolando McClain, Florida’s Brandon Spikes and Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon are once again finalists for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker. South Carolina’s Eric Norwood and Texas’ Sergia Kindle also are finalists. McClain, Spikes and Weatherspoon were finalists in 2008, when Wake Forest star Aaron Curry took home the award. Three of this year’s finalists are from the Southeastern Conference, and two are from the Big 12. The winner will be announced on or before Dec. 8. The Butkus Award is selected by a 51-person panel comprised mostly of scouts, coaches and journalists. The award is named after Dick Butkus, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. - AP Sports
11/20/09- Anthony Smith, Sr, Bloomsburg, 5-09, 227 PSAC EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Bloomsburg linebacker Anthony Smith has been named the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year, highlighting the 2009 All-PSAC East football teams. Smith, the Defensive Player of the Year, made the best of his first season as a starter at Bloomsburg, A three-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week this year, Smith finished second in the PSAC in overall and average tackles per game, with 114 stops and 10.4 per game to go along with three sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. He recorded double digit tackles in six out of Bloomsburg’s 11 games this year, including a 19-tackle performance against C.W. Post, tied for the second-best single-game performance by a PSAC player this year. - PSAC football
11/20/09- Matt Zahoruiko, Sr, Bentley, 6-0, 240 NORTHEAST-10 CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: A pair of senior linebackers earned the 2009 Co-Defensive Players of the Year honors; Assumption’s Dustin Zitzmann (Pinellas Park, Fla.) and Bentley’s Matt Zahoruiko (No. Andover, Mass.). Zahoruiko helped a Bentley defense hold opponents to a conference best 16.3 points per game as the Falcons earned a share of the Northeast-10 Championship with a 6-2 conference record. Zahoruiko finished the year tied for the conference lead in total tackles with 123 and set the mark for most tackles recorded in Bentley’s 22 seasons of varsity football. He was also named to the All-Northeast-10 First Team for the first time in his career. - Northeast-10 football
11/19/09- Marcus Phillips, Sr, Tarleton State, 5-11, 230 LONE STAR CONFERENCE SOUTH DIVISION LINEBACKER OF THE YEAR: Marcus Phillips, Tarleton State, has been selected Linebacker for the 2009 college football season in voting by the South Division coaches. Phillips was named the LSC South Division Linebacker of the Year and was one of eight defensive players on the top two LSC squads while six Texans made the top two offensive squads. Phillips leads the team with 95 tackles, 44 solo, 10.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 3 interceptions with 8 PBU's. - Tarleton State football
11/19/09- Greg Jones, Jr, Michigan State, 6-1, 224 The 6-foot-1, 228-pounder from Cincinnati is athletic enough to chase down quarterbacks on blitzes and drop back into pass coverage. Jones displayed that versatility last season, finishing with 127 tackles, the third-most in the Big Ten. Expectations mounted over the spring and summer, as Jones was voted the conference's preseason defensive player of the year. He has not disappointed. "I'm not surprised he's lived up to expectations," Spartan Radio Network color analyst Jim Miller said. "He's got tremendous determination, tremendous football instincts, has a lot of God-given ability that he's maximized through a lot of hard work. The defense is predicated around him making plays, and he really flies to the football and has been a good leader among his teammates." Leading is something the mild-mannered Jones does by example. The junior captain would rather defer the boisterous pep talks to the Spartan seniors. "Even though I am a junior and I may be a captain, I still feel like seniors lead, regardless," Jones said. "They've been here and they know what it takes to win. I plan to lead when it's my time to step up, but other than that, I won't do anything that's uncalled for." His time to step up in East Lansing, Mich., may never come. Jones could declare for the NFL Draft at the end of the season. Miller, a former NFL quarterback, said Jones would be a perfect fit for a defense running the Tampa-2 formation because of his ability to play the whole field. "I haven't really given it a whole lot of thought," Jones said. "I'm just getting ready for this game. It's probably the biggest game of the year and it's the last one. "I'll think about [the NFL] after the bowl game. It's the last thing I'm thinking about right now." - Matt Fortuna, The Daily Collegian
11/19/09- Derrell Smith, rJr, Syracuse, 6-1, 236 Orange head coach Doug Marrone announced today that senior linebacker Derrell Smith will miss the final two games of the 2009 season due to injury. Smith reported some soreness in his left knee after the Akron game. An MRI revealed a tear in his lateral meniscus. Following the contest at Louisville, Smith reported increased soreness in his left knee prohibiting further activity. Surgery, which will be performed in the near future by Dr. Irving Raphael, and rehabilitation will sideline Smith for the rest of season. Smith is SU's leading tackler, averaging 8.2 tackles per game, which ranks sixth among BIG EAST defenders. He is also averaging 0.65 sacks and 1.0 tackles for loss per game. Smith’s 0.40 forced fumbles per game leads the BIG EAST, while his 0.65 sacks per game is tied for 41st nationally and ranks sixth in the BIG EAST. Smith has four forced fumbles, which ties for fourth on the Syracuse single-season record list and his five career forced fumbles ties for sixth on the SU ledger. - Syacuse football
11/18/09- Mike Johnson, Sr, North Alabama, 6-2, 248 GULF SOUTH CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: North Alabama linebacker Michael Johnson follows in the footsteps of one of the school's legendary players as the GSC Defensive Player of the Year. The senior is the first UNA player to claim the accolade since College Football Hall of Fame linebacker Ronald McKinnon won honors in 1994 and 1995. Johnson is UNA's fifth overall winner and he is also the fifth straight linebacker to win the award. He has spearheaded the Lions to the league Title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Playoffs. North Alabama's defense is tops in the league in scoring defense, pass defense and total defense. The Panama City, FL native ranks fifth in tackles for loss (1.18) and fumbles forced (tied, 0.27) and sixth in tackles (8.4). - Gulf South football
11/18/09- Prince Hall, rSr, Central Washington, 5-11, 256 2009 GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Prince Hall, a transfer from the University of Alabama, has 86 tackles and ranks second to Wood in tackles for losses with 14 ½ and has helped anchor a defense that ranks first nationally in scoring defense, third in total defense and fourth in rushing defense. - GNAC football
11/18/09- Jerrell Wedge, rSo, Miami (OHIO), 5-9, 223 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Miami's defensive performance in a 35-14 loss to Bowling Green on Nov. 12 was credible despite the lopsided score. The RedHawks held the Falcons to 349 yards of total offense and recovered two fumbles. Bowling Green's offense came into the game averaging almost 400 yards a game. PLAYERS TO WATCH: LB Jerrell Wedge tied for game-high tackles Nov. 12 against Bowling Green with 13 stops, the second-best total of his career. He had 2.5 tackles for loss to give him 18 for the season, which leads the Mid-American Conference.
11/18/09- John Jacobs, Sr, Saginaw Valley State, 6-2, 230 2009 GREAT LAKES INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR: John Jacobs (Sr, LB, Saginaw Valley State) capped off an incredible career with a Conference-high 135 tackles during his senior campaign, helping the Cardinals to a 9-2 record and an appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time since the 2005 season. He was named GLIAC “Defensive Player of the Week” twice this season, and became the GLIAC’s all-time tackles leader in conference games (397). Jacobs tied for the GLIAC lead in interceptions (4) and ranked sixth in tackles for loss (13). He started all 11 games for the Cardinals in 2009 and recorded a season high 17 tackles against Northern Michigan on Oct. 3, one of six games in which he recorded 12 or more tackles. - GLIAC football
11/18/09- Zach Watkins, rSr, Washburn, 6-0, 235 2009 ALL-MIAA FIRST TEAM: LB: Zach Watkins, Sr., Washburn, has been selected All Mid-America Conference First Team for the 2009 college football season. Watkins led the MIAA in tackles with 108 and a 9.8 tackles per game average was also named to the MIAA's first team defensive unit for the third time in his career. - Washburn football
11/17/09- Sean Whiters, Jr, Missouri Western, 6-2, 220 2009 ALL-MIAA SECOND TEAM: LB: Sean Whiters, Jr., Missouri Western, has been selected All Mid-America Conference Second Team for the 2009 college football season. Whiters has had a very solid season as he leads the Griffons with 68 total tackles on the season. Whiters has 38 solo stops to go along with 4.5 tackles for a loss. - Missouri Western football
11/16/09- Zach Watkins, rSr, Washburn, 6-0, 235 2009 MIAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Zach Watkins, Sr., LB, Washburn, caps off a tremendous career by being selected as the 2009 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. The senior from Independence, Mo., was also named All-MIAA First Team for the third consecutive season. Watkins led the league in tackles with 108, the fourth consecutive season in which he eclipsed the 100-tackle mark. - MIAA football
11/16/09- Adam Vondrak, Jr, Northwest Missouri State, 6-1, 245 2009 ALL-MIAA HONORABLE MENTION: Adam Vondrak, Northwest Missouri, Jr., LB, has been selected All Mid-America Conference Honorable Mention for the 2009 college football season. - Northwest Missouri football
11/16/09- Mike Morales, rSr, Cal Davis, 6-2, 232 GREAT WEST NOV 16 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: LB Mike Morales - UC Davis (6-2, 240, Sr., Los Altos, Calif.) posted a team-high eight total tackles, including two solo, as UC Davis captured its first Great West Conference championship since 2005. Playing on Senior Day, Morales was also credited with an 0.5 TFL (0 yards) in his tackle totals and had a pass breakup. The Aggie defense held North Dakota to just 265 total yards after the Fighting Sioux came in averaging 322.3. The Aggie defense forced a trio of 3-and-outs on North Dakota's first thee possessions (for 7 yards) and five for the game... Morales now has 133 solo stops to move within three of tying for the top spot on the Aggies' career charts - his six assisted stops moved him up to No. 6 on that chart. Also Nominated - LB Curtis Dublanko (North Dakota), CB Akeem Anifowoshe (Southern Utah). - Great West football
11/16/09- Jake Lewko, Sr, Pennsylvania, 6-1, 237 IVY LEAGUE NOV 16 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Penn senior linebacker Jake Lewko (Medford, N.J.) stepped up for maybe the best game of his career in the biggest game of his career in the Quakers’ win over Harvard. In holding the top scoring offense in the Ivy League to just seven points, Lewko recorded a career-high 15 tackles, six of those being solo stops and two were tackles for loss. He led a Quaker defense that forced two turnovers and held the League's top rushing unit to just 2.7 yards per rush. - Ivy League football
11/16/09- Tank Carder, rSo, TCU, 6-2, 232 MOUNTAIN WEST WEEK 11 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tank Carder, TCU, Sophomore, Linebacker, Sweeny, Texas/Sweeny HS, registered nine tackles, including one for a loss of two yards, and one interception return for a touchdown in No. 4 TCU's 55-28 win over Utah. The Sweeny, Texas, native keyed a Horned Frogs defense which limited the Utes to 11 first downs and 284 yards of total offense. Carder's defensive touchdown came at the 3:20 mark in the second quarter when he stepped in front of a Jordan Wynn pass and ran it back 15 yards to paydirt, putting TCU up 35-7. - Mountain West football
11/16/09- Cardia Jackson, Sr, Louisiana-Monroe, 6-2, 232 SUN BELT WEEK 11 DEFENSE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cardia Jackson (ULM, Sr., LB), became the second Warhawk in as many weeks to set an all-time Sun Belt Conference record. Jackson's season-high 15 tackles in ULM's victory over Western Kentucky pushed his career total to a Sun Belt record 365. He has now recorded double-digit tackles in five of ULM's last six games and ranks 14th in the nation in tackles per game (10.1). Among all active players in the NCAA, Jackson ranks second in career solo tackles and third in total tackles. The Warhawks victory over WKU made them bowl eligible for the second time in three seasons after ULM had never been bowl eligible in the school's D-1 history. - Sun Belt football
11/16/09- Chris Marve, rSo, Vanderbilt, 6-0, 228 SEC WEEK 11 OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE: LB CHRIS MARVE (Vanderbilt) - Tallied 13 total tackles (six solos) with one for a loss (-2 yards) against Kentucky. - SEC football
11/16/09- Jonathan Cornell, rJr, Mississippi, 6-1, 225 SEC WEEK 11 OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE: LB JONATHAN CORNELL (Ole Miss) - Logged game-high 11 total tackles, including one for a loss, against Tennessee. - SEC football
11/16/09- Rolando McClain, Jr, Alabama, 6-4, 256 SEC WEEK 11 OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE: LB ROLANDO McCLAIN (Alabama) – Tallied 11 total tackles with three for losses, including a sack, against Mississippi State. - SEC football
11/15/09- Josh Hull, rSr, Penn State, 6-3, 240 Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who admitted to getting “misty” about several players on Senior Day, said he never expected Hull to become a 100-tackle player at Penn State. “He deserves everything he gets,” Bradley said. “That’s one heck-of-a person. He’s a heck-of-a competitor. He means a lot to this football team.” “That’s one of the seniors who I look up to the most,” said junior linebacker Navorro Bowman. “I just put myself in his shoes. If I didn’t have a scholarship, would I be playing football? I don’t think so. He’s overcome a lot and always had the confidence that he needed to get on that field and show the coaches that he wanted to play and wanted to be a part of this program. I really hope he enjoyed his time here and hopefully he has a chance to play at the next level.” Hull is determined to play in the NFL, although it’s unlikely he’ll be drafted. “I’m positive it’s going to lead to an NFL career, whether I get drafted or I’m a free agent,” he said. “I’m going to work just as hard if not harder than I did to get myself here. It’s going to pay great dividends for me down the road.” There are those — many in the press box and on Internet forums — who have wondered whether Hull was good enough to be on the field with the likes of Bowman and Lee. He took a tremendous amount of criticism last season as he worked to learn the position. “Coming out of Penns Valley, I just ran around all over the place making plays,” Hull said. “That’s what I knew how to do. I really turned into a football player up here — knowing my assignments and knowing my responsibilities. This year, I’ve been real comfortable in my position and it’s allowed me to make some plays that I probably shouldn’t be making.” - Walt Moody, Centre Daily Times
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