Colgate Players Tops in League

RFH 2010

Tue, Nov 23, 2010

Colgate University junior running back Nate Eachus (Drums, Pa.), and senior defensive end Zach Smith (Thorofare, N.J.) were named Patriot League offensive and defensive players of the year. Seven other Raiders earned all-Patriot League first honors, announced by the league office on today.

Eachus had one of the best seasons for a running back in Patriot League history, and was clearly the top player at the position in the Football Championship Subdivision. He carried 317 times for 1,871 yards and 21 touchdowns for the season, and also caught 17 passes for 160 yards and a score.

The 1,871 rushing yards stand third in a single-season in Patriot League history, just four yards behind former teammate Jordan Scott (2007) for second place in League annals. Eachus averaged 170.1 rushing yards per game, which led the FCS by a wide margin of more than 22 yards per contest ahead of any other player.

It is the second-best mark in Patriot League annals, just behind Scott's 170.5 average in 2007. Eachus' 21 rushing and 22 total touchdowns also led the nation as he topped the FCS with 12.0 points per game. The rushing-touchdown mark tied for the third-best single-season total in league history, while the 12.0 points per game are the second-highest in league history.

Eachus matched a Patriot League record with four 200-yard rushing performances, including a single-game league record 291-yard rushing day against Cornell on Oct. 16. He ran for 124 yards or more in 10 of Colgate's 11 games. Eachus was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the most outstanding player in the FCS.

Smith posted the first double-digit sack total for a Patriot League player since 2004, finishing the season with 44 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He finished eighth in the FCS with just under a sack per game, and his nine solo sacks tied for the sixth-best mark in the nation.

Smith put together his biggest games in Colgate's three Patriot League victories. He had three sacks against Georgetown on Oct. 2, and was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for the performance. Smith also totaled 2.5 sacks versus Lafayette on Nov. 6 and two against Bucknell on Nov. 13.

The 10.5 sacks matched the highest total for a Patriot League player since 2000. He helped the Raiders tie for the Patriot League lead and finish 13th nationally in sacks per game. Smith's 14.5 tackles for loss were second in the Patriot League and among the top 30 nationally. He is Colgate's fifth Defensive Player of the Year winner, and first since Tem Lukabu in 2005.

Smith is the first defensive lineman to win the award since Bucknell's Sean Conover in 2004.

2010 All-Patriot League Football Team