Football celebrates 2014 at annual Awards Banquet
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University football team celebrated its outstanding season on Saturday night with its annual Football Awards Banquet in the Multipurpose Athletic Center on the Bryant campus.
The Bulldogs enjoyed their finest season since moving to Division I and their 8-1 start was the best in school history. They also tied the program record for wins (8), defeated two teams from the CAA and were ranked in the national polls for a total of five weeks.
BLACK & GOLD (BULLDOG) AWARD – Jeff Covitz
Arguably the greatest defensive player in program history, Covitz wrapped up a stellar four-year career this past fall. One of the all-time greats on and off the field and as a leader, Covitz finished his career with 191 tackles, 29.5 sacks and 66 tackles for a loss. He was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Year this fall and was a First Team All-NEC selection for the third-straight year.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Ricardo McCray
McCray enjoyed a breakout campaign this past fall, emerging as one of the most dynamic offensive players in the conference. He carried the ball 147 times for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns and also caught 30 passes for 366 yards and four touchdowns. McCray averaged 5.5 yards per carry and 81.4 yards per game on the season. He registered four 100-yard games and enjoyed a career-day against CCSU, rushing for 243 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries. The rushing total was the sixth most in a game in program history.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Jeff Covitz
Covitz swept the Black and Gold Award and Defensive Player of the Year award this season. It marks the third-straight season that Covitz has earned the honor. This past fall, Covitz became the all-time leader in sacks in NEC history and finished his career in the top 10 in tackles and the all-time leader in sacks and tackles for a loss.
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR – John Lavin
Lavin became a key member of Bryant's offense not only as a blocker but also as a receiver. He helped the Bulldogs lead the NEC with nearly 200 yards rushing per game and also set career-highs in receptions (15), receiving yards (198) and touchdowns (5). Lavin hauled in three passes for 74 yards and two scores at Saint Francis U. and went on to record a touchdown in four of the final six games.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR – Maduka Nwanekezi
A fifth-year senior, Nwanekezi was a force to be reckoned with on the defensive line throughout his career. He teamed with Jeff Covitz to give the Bulldogs one of the best defensive lines in college football. This season, he recorded 43 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 15 tackles for a loss. For his career, Nwanekezi graduates with 19 career sacks and second all-time with 46 tackles for a loss.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Jose Depadua
Depadua helped the Bulldogs produce one of the best kick return teams in the country this past fall. The Bulldogs ranked seventh in the country averaging nearly 25 yards per return and Depadua was ranked 24th nationally with an average of 24.3
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Keenan Thompson and Abri Tate
Thompson and Tate emerged as key members for the Bulldogs on offense and defense. Thompson was a jack-of-all trades this season, catching 16 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 62 yards. He hauled in a 61-yard touchdown reception in Bryant's final game against Wagner.
Tate became an important piece of Bryant's defensive line as a junior and finished the year with a career-high 16 tackles. He helped the defense finish in the top 10 in the country in scoring defense and total defense.
SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Brian Testorf and Marko Piedmont
Given to the two players that have done everything they can throughout the week to help the team, Testorf and Piedmont were outstanding role models for their fellow teammates. They were instrumental in preparing the Bulldogs for Saturday's opponent.
CHARACTER AWARD – Michael Perry, Sam Sammons, Jeffrey Synan and Bobby Rutland
These four seniors exemplified everything that it means to be a Bulldog. They were leaders on and off the field, in the classroom and in the community. They were looked at as leaders and had all the values of a Bryant University student.
Perry put the finishing touches on a fine career as he eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards on senior day. He finished with 1,004 yards on 232 carries and appeared in 44 career games.
Sammons was a three-year starter at linebacker and the teams punter. He finished the year with 35 tackles, four sacks, 8.5 tackles for a loss and an interception. He averaged 36.7 yards per punt and put 15 inside the 20. Sammons finished with 163 career tackles and eight sacks.
Synan became Bryant's starting center this season and appeared in nine games for the Black and Gold.
Rutland was a three-year starter at safety for the Bulldogs and finished his senior season with 43 tackles and a team-high three interceptions. He wrapped up his career with 151 tackles and seven interceptions.
ACADEMIC AWARDS – Joe Usher, Marko Piedmont, Zachary Devlin, Matthew Rega
Awarded to those players that excel in the classroom and on the football field, the academic awards were given to the student-athletes that represented all that it means to be a exactly that.
CAPTAINS AWARDS – Jeff Covitz, Maduka Nwanekezi and Sam Sammons
Bryant's chosen leaders on and off the field, these three seniors were the backbone of Bryant's outstanding season. They were leaders in every sense of the word and will go down as one three of the best captains in program history.