UMaine Well-Represented in the CAA Awards Circuit

CAA FOOTBALL ANNOUNCES 2008 ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

The 2008 CAA Football Defensive Player of the Year honors went to Maine defensive lineman Jovan Belcher. Belcher received Defensive Player of the Year honors after being recognized as the league’s preseason favorite for the honor.

The West Babylon, N.Y., native ranked 11th in the league, and first among defensive linemen, with an average of 7.8 tackles a game totalling 93 on the season. The senior, who also led his team to its first playoff berth since 2002, ranked second in the conference with 7.5 sacks for an average of 0.62 per game. Belcher, who was tops in the conference with 15.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, led a defense which ranked fourth in the league and currently 27th in the country in total defense, allowing 315.4 yards a game.

Belcher was named to the CAA First-Team along with Lewiston, ME’s freshman running back Jared Turcotte and senior OL Ryan Canary. The second team had senior LB Andrew Downey, and the third team had senior RB Jhamal Fluellen, senior OL Chistopher Arnao, and senior DB Lionel Nixon, Jr. Congratulations to all of them, you earned it.