November 28, 2012

Day named finalist for Upshaw Award for nation’s best lineman

MANHEIM, Pa. - Carson-Newman All-SAC center Kevin Day (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) can add another tally to a long list of postseason accomplishments. Day has been named a finalist for the Upshaw Award for Division II’s best lineman as selected by DII sports information directors.

MANHEIM, Pa. - Carson-Newman All-SAC center Kevin Day (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) can add another tally to a long list of postseason accomplishments. Day has been named a finalist for the Upshaw Award for Division II's best lineman as selected by DII sports information directors.

"It's great to be considered and to be mentioned with all those other guys," Day said. "There are a lot of talented players in the Division II world. It's a pretty big honor. I'm humbled and excited about it."

Day and Valdosta State's Ryan Schraeder are the two finalists from Super Region II. They both take to the field as opponents in Saturday's DII quarterfinal.

With Day as center this season, the Eagles lead Division II in rushing with 380 yards/game. The tally is the best among all divisions, save for the FCS, where Georgia Southern can boast a 391 yards a game average. However, the Eagles do lead all divisions in rushing touchdowns scored with 50.

Day, who is generously listed at 6-0, 270 pounds, said the Eagles have done this despite being undersized up front.

"It shows a lot about how good our coaches are," Day said. "We've accepted the fact that we're never going to have the inches, pounds or have the split-seconds over anyone else. Yet our coaches continue to put us in a position to be successful, it's just up to us to execute. To put guys that aren't exactly running 4.3s or 4.4s in positions to score is a tribute to just how good they are."

Day has helped to lead an offensive line that has started the same five players (Alex Taylor, Robby Ignagni, Day, Lucas Mathis and Sherrod Mitchell) in every game except the opener against Glenville State.

"They are animals out there," Day said. "They are big, fast and strong, but everyone we go against is usually bigger, faster and stronger. It helps me a lot knowing I have Luscas and Robbie beside me, and then Alex and Sherrod out there on the tackles. Believe it or not, even the tackles make it easier on me. I don't know if I make their jobs any easier, but they make my life a lot easier."

The winner of the Upshaw Awards will be announced Dec. 17. The winner of the award receives a guaranteed opportunity to play in the East/West Shrine Game, which is one of the top college football all-star games and is held on Jan. 19, 2013 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

FINALIST INFORMATION

David Bass (St. Louis, Mo.) has helped Missouri Western State to its first MIAA outright regular season championship with six consecutive wins over top 25 teams. He's recorded a sack in nine of the Griffons' 13 games, ranks 14th in Division II and first in the MIAA in sacks per game (0.8 per game). His 12.5 tackles for loss boosted his career total to a school record 52.5. He is also tied for a school record with 39.5 career sacks. He had 11 tackles against Minnesota Duluth, helping the Griffons to their first NCAA playoff win. He was All-MIAA First Team in 2012 and was an All-America selection by six different organizations in 2011.

Brian Clarke (Hanover, Pa.), an All-PSAC East First Team selection for the second consecutive year, paved the way for Harlon Hill finalist Franklyn Quiteh and the nation's fifth-ranked rushing offense (315.75 yards per game). Clarke's Huskies set the PSAC single-season rushing record with 3,789 yards, and Quiteh led the nation in rushing. Clarke's offensive line became the first in PSAC history to produce two 1,000-yard backs in back-to-back seasons. His unit surrendered just two sacks in Bloomsburg's final seven games and ranked seventh in the nation with 0.67 sacks per game.

Manase Foketi (Hesperia, Calif.) has been a dominating left tackle for West Texas A&M, which has reached the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in school history. He graded out at 95 percent in all of the team's games and helped the Buff's offense gain 345.15 passing yards per game and 485.0 yards per game. That total ranks eighth. He also blocks for Dustin Vaughan, who is a Harlon Hill finalist and ranks seventh nationally in total offense.

Garth Heikkinen (Duluth, Minn.) started in a Minnesota-Duluth record 53 consecutive games—a number unmatched by any current NCAA Division II lineman. He attained All-America status from four different groups in 2011 and was a key to the Bulldogs' fourth-ranked scoring offense (45.7 points per game) and 10th-ranked rushing offense. He did not surrender a single sack the entire season, and the team allowed only six through 11 games. His team reached the NCAA playoffs, won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division and was ranked in the top 10 of every AFCA poll during the season.

Ryan Jensen (Fort Morgan, Colo.) anchors the offensive line for the nation's No. 1-ranked team. Colorado State University-Pueblo won its second straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title and is currently in the NCAA Quarterfinals. He has graded over 90 percent for the season and did not allow a single sack. Despite injuries to the running back position, he blocked for four different 100-yard rushers during the season. He was a Don Hansen Football Gazette Second Team pick in 2011.

Markus Lawrence (Charlotte, N.C.) is the center for the nation's No. 2 team in Winston-Salem State. The Rams have won back-to-back CIAA Championships with the All-CIAA First Team pick snapping the ball. With Lawrence on the line, the Rams led the CIAA in total offense, scoring offense, passing offense and passing efficiency. It also ranked in the top 10 nationally in total offense, scoring offense and passing efficiency. Lawrence's Rams are unbeaten and playing in the NCAA Quarterfinals this weekend.

Ryan Schraeder (Wichita, Kan.) protects the blindside for a Valdosta State team that is playing in the NCAA Quarterfinals and boasts the nation's No. 13 offense and seventh-best scoring offense. He graded out at 96 percent on the year and totaled 56 knockdown blocks in 11 games. With his blocking, Valdosta State is on the verge of setting five school records, including three in the run game. He did not play football until college but is a three-time first team All-America selection in three seasons.

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