Sophomore Alfred Morris Named Team MVP

The 2009 football season had little to celebrate overall. Yet there were still enough positives to bring the season to an official close as Florida Atlantic held its 9th annual Football Awards Banquet this afternoon.

The official 2009 highlight video provided the finer moments of a season that saw the Owls go 5-7.

Yet overall results resembled the ruins from a natural disaster.

Athletic Director Craig Angelo’s read an insert from Pat Riley’s book “The Winner Within”, in which he made a reference on how life can be much like a lightning bolt, and how quickly chaos sometimes strikes with or without notice. Yet, winners will always be defined by how they respond to those set-backs.

Accordingly, how the Owls respond in the off-season will provide insight as to what we can expect in 2010.

Without further ado, here are the awards for the 2009 season:

Overall team MVP – Alfred Morris: finished with 1,392 yards which included 7 games with 100+ yards. Currently holds the record for most yards in a single season.  Maintained a 3.1 GPA.

Team Above Self – David Matlock: started 50 consecutive games while playing through injuries; a torn ACL in 2007 and broken ribs in 2009.

Defensive MVP – Ed Bradwell: finished the season with 91 tackles, 5 for losses, and 1.5 sacks.

Offensive MVP – Willie Rose: gained 307 yards on the ground with a  5.0 yards per carry average and was instrumental part of the offense for his blocking abilities.

Special teams MVP – Mickey Groody: averaged 40.6 yards on punts, with a long of 55 yards (twice).

Most improved – Lester Jean: in 10 starts managed 501 yards on 38 receptions and 4 touchdowns.

Bone Award – Marcus Bartels: team's leading tackler with 112.

Non-scholarship MVP – Carl Spitale: had 25 knockdowns blocks and was the only non-scholarship player  in the top -20 in the nation as an offensive lineman.

Rusty Smith was absent as he is training in California for the upcoming Pro-Day and Draft selection process. Word is that even though he struggled a bit during the Texas versus Nation game, he had some very positive moments during the practice sessions; which can be much more intense than game day. It was Smith's first game since his injury, so it was to be expected for him to be a bit "rusty".

Spring drills are right around the corner. The pigskins will officially get dusted off on March 31st and conclude with the Spring Game on April, 24th.