Bucknell University Athletics
Nine Bison Earn PL Grid Honors; Sean Conover, Dante Ross Win Major Awards
11/24/2004 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 24, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell completed its first seven-win football season in five years last week, and the Patriot League head coaches rewarded the Bison for their outstanding campaign by awarding nine players All-Patriot League honors, including defensive player of the year Sean Conover (Whitman, Mass./Whitman-Hanson) and special teams player of the year Dante Ross (Groton, Conn./Robert E. Fitch).
Also honored for the Bison were senior quarterback Daris Wilson (Kenner, La./Archbishop Rummel), who became only fourth Bucknell signal caller to earn First Team All-Patriot League honors, as well as first-team defensive backs Virgil Rush (Bear, Del./Christiana) and Jerome Acy (Orange, Ohio/Orange).
Named to the all-conference second team were senior offensive linemen Aaron DeGraffenreidt (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) and Jon Sharf (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central), senior defensive tackle Corey Mayo (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area) and senior linebacker Kevin Ransome (Bear, Del./Christiana).
Bucknell's eight first and second team all-conference selections were its most since 2001 (10) and tied for the seventh-most since joining the Patriot League in 1986. Lehigh led the way with 15 selections in 2004, followed by Fordham with 10, the Bison with eight, Lafayette with seven, Colgate with five and Holy Cross and Georgetown with three each.
Conover joins Ed Burman (1995) and Adam Lord (2002) as the only Bucknell players to earn conference defensive player of the year honors. A 6'5" junior defensive end, Conover came to Bucknell as a tight end but was converted to defense prior to his sophomore season, and his transformation into a dominant force on defense proved to be one of the top stories of the year in the league.
Conover, who was also a first-team all-conference choice, tied for the Patriot League lead in sacks this season with 10.5, the fourth-highest single-season total in school history. He finished with 55 tackles (33 solo) and his 18 tackles behind the line of scrimmage resulted in 110 lost yards for the opposition. Conover had back-to-back three-sack efforts against Lehigh and Holy Cross, and all but one of his sacks this season came in Patriot League play. He also led the league with five forced fumbles.
Rush and Acy joined Conover on the first-team defense. Bucknell's defensive catalyst, Rush led the team and ranked sixth in the Patriot League with 97 tackles (61 solo), a career high. Rush also had eight tackles for loss, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and seven pass breakups from his free safety position. He reached double figures in tackles four times this season, with a high of 13 against Lafayette. He intercepted two passes in Bucknell's home win over Columbia.
Acy, competing as a graduate student in 2004, was one of the top cover cornerbacks in the league this year. He led the league with 17 pass breakups, including two interceptions, and ranked third on the team and eighth in the Patriot League with 87 tackles (67 solo).
Wilson was Bucknell's lone offensive first-teamer, but it was quite an honor for a senior who did not even play quarterback until his junior year. Wilson was a QB in high school but came to Bucknell as a wide receiver. When head coach Tim Landis installed the spread option offense upon his arrival at Bucknell prior to the 2003 season, his first order of business was to move Wilson back to quarterback.
All he did this season was become the fifth Bucknell player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season (1,149). He shattered school and league records for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season and career, and he led the nation in quarterback rushing in 2004.
Wilson's first-team all-conference honor would not have been possible without one of the most remarkable four-game stretches in school history. Ending with last week's victory at Duquesne, Wilson accumulated 737 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns over his final four games. Included in that stretch was a 252-yard, five-touchdown performance at Holy Cross on Oct. 30, which he nearly matched two weeks later when he ran for 236 yards and five more touchdowns in a stirring 42-7 victory over defending league champ and I-AA tournament finalist Colgate.
Wilson became the sixth Bucknell player to run for 2,000 yards in his career. His 17 touchdowns this season tied Jason Marrow for second on Bucknell's single-season list, while his 1,149 yards in 2004 was fifth on the school's single-season chart. He finished 22nd in the nation in rushing this season and was one of only 30 players in all of I-AA to average over 100 yards per game. On top of his eye-popping rushing numbers, Wilson also completed 66.0% of his passes (62-94) for 852 yards and six touchdowns. He broke the Bucknell single-season and career records for completion percentage.
Wilson, who finished second in the Patriot League in rushing and fourth in total offense, joins Jim Given (1986), Scott Auchenbach (1989) and Jim Fox (1996) as Bucknell's only First Team All-Patriot League quarterbacks.
 Daris Wilson is Bucknell's first first-team all-league QB in eight years.  |
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Helping open holes for Wilson to run through were DeGraffenreidt and Scharf, who were both named to the all-conference second team. DeGraffenreidt assumed a starting role as a sophomore and was a mainstay at offensive guard all season for the Bison. He started all 11 games, giving him 24 for his career.
Scharf started every game at left tackle for the Bison and was one of the team's most consistent performers all year long. Scharf's all-conference recognition completes quite a comeback story for the 300-pounder out of New Jersey. He suffered a serious knee injury during his freshman year in 2000 and left school for a short time. He returned to the program in 2002 but did not appear in a varsity game, then last season he worked his way into the lineup for the first time, appearing in six games and starting the last three. He not only kept his job in 2004, but turned in an all-league season.
Scharf and DeGraffenreidt were Bucknell's first offensive line tandem to earn all-conference citations since 2001, when Jon Churchill and Carson Book were honored.
Two other seniors earned second-team all-league accolades in Ransome and Mayo. Ransome, who was also a second-team honoree last season and Bucknell's only returning all-star, was once again a force at inside linebacker. He finished fourth on the team with 68 tackles (40 solo), including six stops for loss. He tied for second in the conference with three fumble recoveries. A three-year starter, Ransome finished his outstanding career with 258 tackles.
Mayo enjoyed his best season in 2004. A starter at defensive tackle in all 11 games, he teamed with Conover to harass opposing ballcarriers behind the line of scrimmage all year. Mayo finished with 55 tackles (36 solo), and tied Conover for second in the Patriot League with 18 tackles for loss (-36 yards). Mayo also had two sacks, blocked a field goal, recovered one fumble and forced another. Both Mayo and Ransome will earn their fourth varsity letters this season.
While not a member of the all-league first or second team, Ross was certainly one of the most feared players in the Patriot League this season for his abilities as both a return specialist and cornerback. Ross is the first-ever winner of the newly created Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Year after leading the league in both punt return (9.5) and kickoff return (29.1) average. He ranked fifth nationally in kick returns and 34th in punt returns.
Ross became the first player in school and league history to record two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the same game when he ran back kicks of 97 and 85 yards in Bucknell's Oct. 2 win at Georgetown. The 97-yard return was third-longest in school history, trailing only a pair of 99-yarders. In one afternoon he tied the Bucknell and Patriot League career records for KO return touchdowns, and he was named The Sports Network's I-AA Special Teams Player of the Week.
As a starting cornerback, Ross led the team in interceptions with four, with three of those coming against Duquesne in last week's season-ending victory. He had 43 tackles (28 solo) and eight pass breakups.
In addition to Ross and Conover, there were three other major awards handed out. Lafayette running back Joe McCourt was named the offensive player of the year, Lafayette's Frank Tavani was coach of the year and Fordham running back Jonte Coven was picked as rookie of the year.
Bucknell finished the season with a 7-4 record, including four straight wins to close the season. At 4-2 in the Patriot League, the Bison finished in a tie for third place with Colgate, just one game behind Lafayette and Lehigh.
CLICK\ HERE for the complete 2004 All-Patriot League football team.
