Photo by: Rich Graessle
Anderson Earns First Team All-Big Ten Status
Nov 28 | Football
Four Scarlet Knights achieve honorable mention on defense; Joseph claims Sportsmanship Award
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football fifth-year senior Ryan Anderson earned First Team All-Big Ten status, the league announced Tuesday. He becomes the first Scarlet Knight to claim first-team honors in both the coaches' and media vote since RU joined the conference. In addition, sophomore Damon Hayes (media), junior Kiy Hester (coaches & media), fifth-year senior Sebastian Joseph (coaches) and junior Trevor Morris (media) all garnered honorable mention standing. Joseph also was honored as the team's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Anderson paced the Big Ten and ranked No. 13 nationally with an average of 44.4 yards per punt, a mark that established a new Rutgers single-season school record. A member of the Ray Guy Award watch list, he booted 27 attempts at least 50 yards and seven of 60 or more yards, including a 70-yard kick at Indiana that ranked as the fifth-longest in program history. Anderson also pinned 20 inside the 20-yard line and helped RU improve 82 spots in the national rankings in net punting from a season ago. The graduate student, who is working on a master's degree in communication and information studies with a concentration in strategic organizational communication, is a candidate for Academic All-America honors.
The only other Rutgers punter to achieve first-team all-conference was Joe Radigan in 2006 in the Big East.
Hayes started the last eight games at cornerback and tied the team lead with 10 pass breakups in 12 contests overall. He added an interception in the win over Purdue to finish at 0.9 passes defended per game, which ranked 14th in the Big Ten. The defensive back finished the season with 48 tackles, including a season-high 10 at Michigan.
Also in the defensive backfield, Hester picked off three passes to go with 10 pass breakups to average 1.2 passes defended per game. That mark ranked fourth in the league and 32nd nationally. He returned interceptions versus Nebraska and Maryland for touchdowns and racked up 37 tackles at strong safety.
Joseph started all 12 games at nose tackle this season and finished his career playing in 49 consecutive games and 50 overall. The defensive lineman totaled 41 tackles as a senior with a career-high seven in the win over Maryland. He also had 4.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, one pass batted down, one forced fumble, one blocked field goal and was a candidate for AFCA Good Works Team.
Morris finished second in the Big Ten with 118 tackles and 18th nationally at 9.6 per game. He reached double digits five times, including 18 stops at Indiana and a career-high 19 versus Michigan State that tied for the most by a Big Ten player this season. One hundred of the tackles came against the run and he was first in the conference with 102 overall in league games.
Under the direction of head coach Chris Ash, Rutgers doubled its win total in 2017 and won three Big Ten games to match its high since joining the conference. The Scarlet Knights intercepted 12 passes, four more than a year ago to move up 52 spots in the FBS national rankings. The rushing defense improved 42 spots, while scoring defense went up 38 slots in the rankings and total defense improved by 25.
The Big Ten will announce its offensive all-conference teams on Wednesday and individual award winners on Thursday.
Rutgers Football Big Ten Honors
First Team (Coaches & Media): P Ryan Anderson
Honorable Mention Coaches: DB Kiy Hester, DL Sebastian Joseph
Honorable Mention Media: DB Damon Hayes, DB Kiy Hester, LB Trevor Morris
Sportsmanship Award: DL Sebastian Joseph
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding football, follow the program on Twitter @RFootball.
Anderson paced the Big Ten and ranked No. 13 nationally with an average of 44.4 yards per punt, a mark that established a new Rutgers single-season school record. A member of the Ray Guy Award watch list, he booted 27 attempts at least 50 yards and seven of 60 or more yards, including a 70-yard kick at Indiana that ranked as the fifth-longest in program history. Anderson also pinned 20 inside the 20-yard line and helped RU improve 82 spots in the national rankings in net punting from a season ago. The graduate student, who is working on a master's degree in communication and information studies with a concentration in strategic organizational communication, is a candidate for Academic All-America honors.
The only other Rutgers punter to achieve first-team all-conference was Joe Radigan in 2006 in the Big East.
Hayes started the last eight games at cornerback and tied the team lead with 10 pass breakups in 12 contests overall. He added an interception in the win over Purdue to finish at 0.9 passes defended per game, which ranked 14th in the Big Ten. The defensive back finished the season with 48 tackles, including a season-high 10 at Michigan.
Also in the defensive backfield, Hester picked off three passes to go with 10 pass breakups to average 1.2 passes defended per game. That mark ranked fourth in the league and 32nd nationally. He returned interceptions versus Nebraska and Maryland for touchdowns and racked up 37 tackles at strong safety.
Joseph started all 12 games at nose tackle this season and finished his career playing in 49 consecutive games and 50 overall. The defensive lineman totaled 41 tackles as a senior with a career-high seven in the win over Maryland. He also had 4.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, one pass batted down, one forced fumble, one blocked field goal and was a candidate for AFCA Good Works Team.
Morris finished second in the Big Ten with 118 tackles and 18th nationally at 9.6 per game. He reached double digits five times, including 18 stops at Indiana and a career-high 19 versus Michigan State that tied for the most by a Big Ten player this season. One hundred of the tackles came against the run and he was first in the conference with 102 overall in league games.
Under the direction of head coach Chris Ash, Rutgers doubled its win total in 2017 and won three Big Ten games to match its high since joining the conference. The Scarlet Knights intercepted 12 passes, four more than a year ago to move up 52 spots in the FBS national rankings. The rushing defense improved 42 spots, while scoring defense went up 38 slots in the rankings and total defense improved by 25.
The Big Ten will announce its offensive all-conference teams on Wednesday and individual award winners on Thursday.
Rutgers Football Big Ten Honors
First Team (Coaches & Media): P Ryan Anderson
Honorable Mention Coaches: DB Kiy Hester, DL Sebastian Joseph
Honorable Mention Media: DB Damon Hayes, DB Kiy Hester, LB Trevor Morris
Sportsmanship Award: DL Sebastian Joseph
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding football, follow the program on Twitter @RFootball.
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