Heisman Trophy, All Big East Award Winners Announced
Scarlet Knights Well Represented
12/05/2007
Written By: Kirk Herbstreit
ESPN NCAA Football Analyst
[Piscataway, New Jersey]-- The Heisman Trophy Award winner was announced earlier today, and it went to who we all expected it to go to. Mike Hart, halfback from Michigan, won the Heisman Trophy Award this year, with James Hardy finishing in a close second.
Hart beat out Hardy by only 18 votes. Ian Johnson, the halfback from Boise State finished third, Joey Halzle, quarterback from Oklahoma finished fourth, and Sam Keller, quarterback from Nebraska, finishing fifth.
Hart finished with 350 first place votes, 303 second place votes, and 106 third place votes, giving him 1,762. Hardy finished with 338 first place votes, 313 second, and 104 third place votes, giving him a total of 1,744.
Not only was the Heisman Trophy Winner announced, but the All-Americans were announced, and Rutgers was well represented.
We'll start with the All Big East first team, where junior halfback
Ray Rice was awarded. Rice carried the ball one hundred and fifty seven times throughout the season before being injured, while running for nine hundred and twenty two yards, a 5.9 yards per carry average, and sixteen touchdowns.
Junior tight end
Kevin Brock was also honored with an All Big East first team award. Brock caught thirty-nine passes for four hundred and eighty yards, and two touchdowns.
Two offensive lineman were also honored with All Big East first team awards. Senior left guard
Mike Fladell had seventeen pancakes and two sacks allowed, while sophomore center
Dave McClain had fifteen pancakes and allowed no sacks throughout the season. Both were All Big East first team award winners.
Several players of the third ranked Rutgers defensive unit were All Big East first team award winners. Senior defensive tackle
Eric Foster had thirty-seven tackles, fourteen for a loss, and four sacks, landing him a first team All Big East award.
Also, middle linebacker
Kevin Malast was awarded the first team honors, ending the season with eighty-seven tackles, twenty-two for a loss, two sacks, five interceptions, and ten pass deflections. There was never any doubt that Malast would garner first team All Big East awards.
Both brothers,
Jason and
Devin McCourty were awarded first team All Big East award winners. Jason had thirty-seven tackles, six interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, thirteen pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovered.
Devin recorded forty-three tackles, five for a loss, eight interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and nine pass deflections.
Sophomore free safety
Joe Martinek filled in for
Courtney Greene for most of the year, and garnered first team All Big East honors, by recording fifty-three tackles, two for a loss, three interceptions, five pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
Senior strong safety
Ron Girault concluded his career with an awesome season, recording fifty-seven tackles, two for a loss, six interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, three pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovered, which was good enough to earn Girault first team All Big East honors.
As expected, place kicker
Jeremy Ito also was an All Big East first teamer. Ito converted twenty-five of twenty-nine field goals, which was good enough to land him a 90% mark, his longest being from 53 yards out. Ito was also perfect on extra points.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season was sophomore punter
Teddy Delleganna, who had a 45.7 yards per punt average. His longest punt went for sixty-four yards, and he nailed fourteen of his thirty-five punts within the opponent's twenty yard line.
Five Scarlet Knights also gained second team All Big East honors, the first being sophomore wide receiver
Kenny Britt. Britt caught forty-four passes for eight hundred and twenty six yards, with seven touchdowns.
Junior left end
Chenry Lewis recorded thirty-nine tackles, fifteen for a loss, seven sacks, and a fumble recovered. He was also named a second team All Big East selection.
Freshman defensive tackle
Wayne Thomas recorded twenty two tackles, nine for a loss, and had five sacks. Thomas was also recognized as a second team All Big East selection.
Two more of the Scarlet Knights' secondary players were added to the second team All Big East list. Sophomore
Leslie Jackman registered forty tackles, two interceptions, four pass deflections, and a fumble recovered, while freshman
Mason Robinson had forty-three tackles, one for a loss, with two interceptions, four pass deflections, and two fumbles recovered.