MANHEIM, Pa. – Regional voting narrowed a field of 53 candidates to eight finalists for the 2014 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award. The group of finalists consists of three offensive linemen and five defensive linemen, including SWOSU's
Devin Benton, the Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
The award is sponsored by the Manheim Touchdown Club and voted upon by the nation's NCAA Division II sports information directors. Two finalists advance from each of the four NCAA Division II super regions.
Representing Super Region 1 are Slippery Rock's junior offensive tackle Cory Tucker and Clarion's senior defensive end Julian Howsare. Super Region 2 finalists are Tusculum's senior defensive lineman Caushaud Lyons and Lenoir-Rhyne's junior offensive tackle Joe Ray. Advancing from Super Region 3 are Minneosta State's senior offensive tackle Chris Reed and Southwestern Oklahoma State senior defensive tackle
Devin Benton. Super Region 4 is represented by last year's Gene Upshaw Award winner Darius Allen of Colorado State-Pueblo, and Ferris State junior defensive end Justin Zimmer.
The national round of voting begins on Monday, Dec. 1 and closes on Dec. 8 with the winner announced on Dec. 15. The award recipient has the opportunity to participate in one of two prestigious college all-star games in front of professional scouts and coaches. The East/West Shrine Game and the NFLPA All-Star Game are both scheduled for Jan. 17.
The winner will also be recognized at the Manheim Touchdown Club's annual banquet in May.
The NFL recognizes, endorses and supports the winner of the award by guaranteeing a place in the all-star games. The support comes as recognition and appreciation for the late Mr. Upshaw, who was not only an All-Pro lineman for the Oakland Raiders, but later served as the executive director of the NFL Players Association for 25 years. Upshaw, a former standout offensive lineman at Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M Kingsville), was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 in his first year of eligibility.
FINALIST INFORMATIONDarius Allen (Pueblo, Colo.) the 2013 winner of the Gene Upshaw Award followed his award-winning junior season by being named 2014 RMAC Defensive Player of the Year and All-RMAC First Team. He totaled 43 tackles, nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss all while being the focus of the opposition's offensive line. He tallied 3.5 sacks in a road win over NCAA Division I FCS opponent Sam Houston State. His efforts help CSU-Pueblo rank third in the nation in scoring defense. His team is 10-1 with a fourth consecutive league title and earned a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Playoffs.
Devin Benton (Arlington, Texas), the Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, piled up 23.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks from his defensive tackle position with Southwestern Oklahoma State. He ranked fifth in the NCAA in tackles for loss. He is the first SWOSU player to earn all-conference honors four times and is the program's all-time leader in sacks (18.0) and tackles for loss (50.0). He was named Beyond Sports Network Athlete of the Week on Sept. 15 after 5.0 tackles for loss against Arkansas Tech.
Julian Howsare (Altoona, Pa.) was named PSAC Western Division Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row after piling up 86 tackles, 11 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, three blocked kicks, two fumble recoveries, an interception and five broke-up passes. A preseason All-America pick in 2014 and a third team All-America pick as a junior, Howsare finished his Clarion career with 256 tackles, 57 tackles for loss and 39 sacks.
Caushaud Lyons (Ellenwood, Ga.) was arguably the most productive defensive lineman in the South Atlantic Region and Super Region 2. He led all SAC linemen and ranked third among all NCAA defensive linemen in tackles with 89 and also ranked second in the league in sacks with nine and second in tackles for loss with 19. An All-SAC First Team selection, Lyons owns 28 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in his career.
Joe Ray (Atlanta, Ga.), back-to-back winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for top offensive lineman in the South Atlantic Conference, Ray has anchored the nation's best rushing offense, which averages 415.5 yards per game. Ray's team earned the top seed in Super Region 2 for the second year in a row and won a fourth consecutive SAC Championship. As an All-America selection in 2013, Ray helped Lenoir-Rhyne to a national title game appearance.
Chris Reed (Omaha, Neb.) a starter of 43 games over the last four seasons, Reed has paved the way to the nation's No. 1 ranking, a 33-game NSIC winning streak and three consecutive NCAA Playoff appearances. Reed was named All-NSIC South Division First Team and helped the team score 485 points—the third most in school history.
Cory Tucker (South Park, Pa.), an All-PSAC West First Team pick for the second year in a row, started at right tackle for the PSAC Championship-winning Slippery Rock team. He blocked for Shamar Greene's 1,482 yards despite playing against three top-10 teams in rushing defense. Tucker's team rushed for 233 yards and totaled 508 yards of offense in the league championship game against Bloomsburg, which boasted the fifth-ranked defense in Division II. He was a preseason first team All-American by Sporting News, D2football.com and Beyond Sports Network.
Justin Zimmer (Greenville, Mich.), a two-time All-GLIAC First Team selection, helped Ferris State to an undefeated regular season and a spot in the NCAA Quarterfinals for the program's first GLIAC Championship in 15 years. Zimmer ranked third on the team with 69 tackles, led the team with 6.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. He forced a league-leading three fumbles and broke up four passes. He was a preseason All-American at the start of the year, Zimmer is part of the first Ferris State team to go 11-0 in the regular season.
