University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Honored With 15 CAA Football Postseason Awards
Nov. 19, 2007
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond's Dave Clawson was named the Coach of the Year, Justin Rogers was the Special Teams Player of the Year, while Kevin Grayson and Eric McBride were the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year, respectively, to headline the Spiders' postseason honors from CAA Football. Walter Payton Award candidate Tim Hightower was named the league's First Team running back.
In all, Richmond garnered 15 postseason conference accolades, including four of the six major awards - Clawson, Rogers, Grayson and McBride - along with First Team selections Hightower (RB), Rogers (KR) and Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. on the defensive line.
Six Spiders were placed on the Second Team, including McBride (LB), Grayson (WR), Stephen Howell at safety, John Crone at fullback, Matt McCracken on the offensive line and Derek Hatcher at punt returner.
On the Third Team were Collin McConaghy at linebacker and Seth Williams at cornerback.
Clawson, also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award, was named CAA Football Coach of the Year for the second time in the past three seasons. He guided the Spiders to a 9-2 overall record and a share of the CAA championship with a 7-1 mark after being picked to finish fourth in the South Division in preseason polls. The fourth-year head coach has amassed a 27-19 record, earning two conference championships and a pair of NCAA FCS Championship appearances during his tenure.
Rogers electrified special teams for Richmond all season, leading the CAA and ranking third in the nation in kickoff returns by averaging 32.5 yards with two touchdowns. The redshirt freshman from Baton Rouge, La. had a 93-yard return for a score in the Spiders' season-opener at Vanderbilt and also had an 85-yard TD return against New Hampshire. Rogers recorded the two highest single-game return performances in the CAA this season with 222 yards against UNH and 201 yards versus Vanderbilt.
Grayson became the second Spider in as many seasons to win CAA Football Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after quarterback Eric Ward earned it in 2006. The freshman wide receiver from L.C. Bird H.S. in Richmond, who was also a second-team all-conference selection, led the Spiders with 49 receptions for 695 yards and four touchdowns. Two of his touchdown receptions came in the Spiders' five-overtime victory at Delaware, including one during the overtime session.
McBride is the second UR player in the last three years to win the CAA Football Defensive Rookie of the Year award. The freshman linebacker - and high school teammate of Grayson at L.C. Bird - led the Spiders with 104 tackles, including 46 solo stops. He also recorded 2.5 sacks and forced two fumbles during his rookie campaign. McBride made a season-high 16 tackles against Rhode Island with two tackles for loss and one sack. He finished the season eighth in the conference with his 104 tackles, registering as the only freshman among the league's Top-15.
Hightower, the nation's sixth-leading rusher (141.9 yards/game), is putting the finishing touches on a remarkable career and even more remarkable senior campaign. The senior tailback is well on his way to 12 Richmond single-season or career records, having already broken eight. Hightower has scored 20 touchdowns (17 rushing) this season and is tied for seventh in the NCAA in scoring. His back-to-back 241 and 295-yard performances earlier this season rank among the best in FCS football this season.
Sidbury, Jr. played a key roll on the defensive line that finished fourth in the CAA against the run (131.9 yards/game, second in the conference in sacks per game (3.1) and third in tackles for loss (6.4/game). The junior from Cheltenham, Md. was second on the team in both sacks (4.0) and tackles for loss (7.5). He also recovered one of the team's nine forced fumbles.
Senior quarterbacks Joe Flacco of Delaware and Ricky Santos of New Hampshire shared the conference's Offensive Player of the Year honors, while James Madison senior safety Tony LeZotte was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year. All voting was conducted by the league's head coaches.
Richmond's 15 selections were surpassed only by the 16 from Massachusetts.