BRYANT HONORS FOOTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
SMITHFIELD, R.I . – Bryant University Director of Athletics Bill Smith officially presented the 2010 Northeast All-Conference Football awards to four Bulldogs during last week's men's basketball game against Sacred Heart.
In only the program's second year competing as a member of the Northeast Conference, Bryant University placed four players on the 2010 All-NEC team led by freshman standout Max Machado (Berkeley Heights, N.J. / Governor Livingston) who was named NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Sophomore running back Jordan Brown (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) was named First Team All-Conference while senior linebacker Jason Riffe (Newton, Mass./Newton North) and cornerback Samad Wagstaff (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) were named to All-NEC Second Team Defense.
Machado, a rookie cornerback for the Bulldogs, played in all 11 games for Bryant finishing with 30 tackles on the year and four pass breakups.
He finished tied with Wagstaff with four interceptions including a brilliant one-hand grab in the team's win over conference champion Robert Morris on Nov. 13.
Brown had a breakout sophomore season on offensive for the Bulldogs. The Glastonbury, Conn. native led the Northeast Conference in 2010 with 128.2 yards per game rushing and finished first in the NEC with 172.4 all-purpose yards, 108 points, and rushing touchdowns with 15.
He finished the year with 1,410 yards rushing - the second-most yards in a season in school history while his 15 rushing touchdowns were third most in Bryant history. His 1,896 all-purpose yards and 108 points were also the second-best single season marks.
Brown went over the 100 yard mark in eight of Bryant's 11 games including a career-high 200 yards in Bryant's win over Albany. In the team's win over Robert Morris, Brown rushed for 138 yards and two scores.
On the year, he had two punt returns for touchdowns including an electrifying 70-yarder in the team's season-opening win over Fordham and also had a 73 yard punt return for a touchdown in the Bryant's win over Sacred Heart.
Brown received the New England Football Writers Gold Helmet award as the New England Football Player of the Week twice this season – the only player to earn the award twice in 2010.
Riffe capped off his amazing career earning Second Team All-NEC with a record-setting performance this fall. The middle linebacker and team co-captain recorded a school-record 108 tackles including 57 solo tackles and 51 assisted tackles.
He led the Northeast Conference with seven sacks for 57 yards and added one interception, two forced fumbles and one blocked kick. The senior finishes his career with a school-record 249 career tackles and was selected to participate in this year Senior Bowl All-Star game in December.
Wagstaff concluded another strong season as the team's shut-down corner in earning Second Team All-NEC honors. The junior, who recorded five interceptions as a freshman, picked off four passes this season, three of which were returned for a touchdown.
Wagstaff had dazzling 90-yard interception return in the win over Robert Morris, setting a school record for longest interception return for a touchdown in school history. Wagstaff finished fourth on the team with 45 tackles on the year and was second on the team with five pass breakups and one fumble recovery.