Bucknell Football's De La Rosa, Gutowski Earn Weekly Honors
10/3/2011 8:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 3, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell football senior defensive tackle Robert De La Rosa (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) on Monday earned nearly as many weekly honors as he had tackles for loss last Saturday in a win over Georgetown. De La Rosa posted 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, nine tackles and one forced fumble against the Hoyas and on Monday he earned no fewer than five weekly awards from various organizations.
De La Rosa was named the National Co-Defensive Player of the Week by The Sports Network, the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week, the Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week, a College Sporting News All-Star, and the National Defensive Lineman of the Week and National Defensive Player of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards.
Junior punter Ryan Gutowski (Owings Mills, Md./Calvert Hall) joined De La Rosa and gave Bucknell two Patriot League honors as he was named the conference's Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
De La Rosa led a disruptive Bucknell (4-1, 1-0 PL) defense in a 35-18 victory over Georgetown, which featured the Hoyas rushing for minus-three yards. His 6.5 tackles for loss is tied for third on the all-time NCAA Football Championship Subdivision single-game list since the stat became official in 2000, while he became just the fifth different Bison player to post three sacks in a game since 2001. The last Bucknell player to register three sacks was future NFLer Sean Conover in 2004.
A four-year starter for the Bison, De La Rosa ranks first in the nation in tackles for loss per game (2.50) and he is tied for eighth nationally in sacks per game (1.10).
A veteran of 36 career games and a two-time All-Patriot League selection, De La Rosa's 12.5 tackles for loss this year are more than any Bison has had since Conover (16.5) and Corey Mayo (16.0) in 2004.
De La Rosa now has 24 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two pass breakups and three forced fumbles this season. He is up to 140 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, six pass breakups, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in his four-year career.
De La Rosa has been a key part to Bucknell ranking third nationally in rush defense, eighth in total defense and 15th in scoring defense this year.
Gutowski had a solid game against Georgetown as well, punting seven times for a season-best 38.3 average. Five of his punts went for better than 40 yards, and two of those went for more than 50. Gutowski had three punts land inside the 20-yard line. He has had at least two punts inside the 20 in all five games this season.
In his second year as the regular punter, Gutowski has booted the ball 34 times this year and is averaging 35.7 yards per kick.
De La Rosa, Gutowski and the rest of the Bison will wrap up a two-game homestand this Saturday, Oct. 8, when they host 4-1 Lehigh at 1 p.m. A victory will put Bucknell on top of the Patriot League standings with an early 2-0 conference record.