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Dec. 18, 2008
Five IUP football players have been selected to the Daktronics All-Super Region 1 team for the 2008 season, including first team nods for senior linebacker Terrence Jackson and sophomore kicker Craig Burgess. Named to the second team were sophomore running back Tobias Robinson and junior offensive lineman Jim O'Rourke and junior cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah. Jackson (Media/Penncrest) was also chosen to the American Football Coaches Association All-America team and was named to the East team for the Valero Cactus Bowl January 9 in Kingsville, Texas. He was the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year and a first team all-conference pick for the third straight season. He led the Crimson Hawks in tackles with 69 and had added 11 tackles for loss and two sacks. See yesterday's story for more information about Jackson. Burgess (Medina, Ohio/Medina) led the PSAC and was second in the nation with 16 field goals in 22 attempts while converting all 46 of his extra point tries, the most without a miss in school history. His 72.7 percent field goal success rate was second in the conference. Burgess also led the PSAC and was 14th nationally in scoring with 9.40 points per game. His 16 field goals were just two shy of the IUP single-season record set by Mike Geary in 1993 and matched by Jon Ruff two years later, and he tied the school record with four field goals versus Gannon. He is sixth in school history with 22 career field goals. Burgess' nine PATs versus Millersville and Clarion set a new school record, and he is 76 for 77 in his career. Robinson (Lebanon/Cedar Crest) rushed for 1,203 yards and 13 touchdowns and led the PSAC while ranking 13th nationally with an average of 120.3 yards per game. He is the ninth running back in IUP history with a 1,000-yard season, including six 100-yards games and two with over 200. Robinson rushed for 229 yards versus Clarion, tied for the fifth highest total in school history, and 215 versus Kutztown. He is the first IUP running back since James Suber in 1996 to have two 200-yard rushing games in a single season and had touchdown runs of 89, 84, 79 and 77 yards during the course of the season. Robinson also ranked 26th in the nation in all-purpose yards (133.5) and 31st in scoring (7.8). O'Rourke (Coraopolis/West Allegheny) provided a veteran presence on an offensive line that helped IUP produce one of the top offensive seasons in school history. A two-time All-PSAC West first team selection, O'Rourke entered the starting lineup as a true freshman in 2006 and has split time between guard and center, starting all 22 games over the past two seasons. Behind O'Rourke, the Crimson Hawks averaged 38.5 points and 442.1 yards of total offense per game, with both figures ranking second in school history. IUP put up 30 or more points in seven of its 10 games and twice scored better than 60 points. Led by O'Rourke, the offensive line allowed quarterback Andrew Krewatch to be sacked only eight times all year. Owusu-Ansah (Columbus, Ohio/Whetstone) intercepted eight passes this season to lead the PSAC and tie for first in the nation while his average of 0.80 interceptions per game tied him for second nationally. He fell one shy of the school record for most picks in a season and had seven in the final four games of the year, including three versus Gannon and two each versus Mercyhurst and Kutztown. No IUP player had a three-interception game since Reece Brown did so in a playoff victory over Virginia Union in 1991. Owusu-Ansah added a 74-yard interception return for a touchdown in the opener at C.W. Post and had 222 return yards for the season to set a school record. Adding in his 10 pass breakups, Owusu-Ansah defended 18 opponent aerials on the year, the fourth-highest mark in the nation. |
