UNH's Evans Named Buck Buchanan Award Winner

[TexasTerror]

CAA cleaning up in the awards... UNH junior Matt Evans receives the FCS top defensive honor...


Frisco, TX (Sports Network) - New Hampshire junior linebacker Matt Evans kept busy throughout the entire regular season, leading the Football Championship Subdivision with 154 tackles and 88 solo stops.

Evans was rewarded for all his stops as he was named the 2011 Buck Buchanan Award winner, which honors the outstanding defensive player in the FCS, is presented by The Sports Network and sponsored by Fathead.com.

"It was really something I didn't expect," Evans said. "It's a huge honor to be a part of that prestigious group."

The second player from CAA Football to win the award, Evans appeared on 113 of the 132 ballots and received 45 first-place votes, edging out Northern Iowa senior linebacker L.J. Fort.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/news/newstest.aspx?id=4462686

[VT Wildcat Fan53]

CAA cleaning up in the awards... UNH junior Matt Evans receives the FCS top defensive honor...



http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/news/newstest.aspx?id=4462686

Quite an honor for a young man who dominating performances are probably better than his physical skills would lead one to believe. However, he can certainly run which always helps! Congratulations to Matt and the UNH Wildcats. xthumbsupx

[Mr. C]

Did The Sports Network release these names (for the Buchanan, Robinson and Rice awards) a day BEFORE the annual awards banquet? Very strange break in tradition.

On the subject of Evans winning the Buchanan Award, he wouldn't have been my pick (I would have probably gone with Adrian Hamilton). While Evans was a fine player, he played on a horrendous defense and many of his tackles were stops well beyond the line of scrimmage. Evans got a lot of tackles because so many of his teammates played so poorly (not putting defensive end Brian McNally in that category) this season. A lot of Evans' tackles were not meaningful tackles.

[UNH Fanboi]

Did The Sports Network release these names (for the Buchanan, Robinson and Rice awards) a day BEFORE the annual awards banquet? Very strange break in tradition.

On the subject of Evans winning the Buchanan Award, he wouldn't have been my pick (I would have probably gone with Adrian Hamilton). While Evans was a fine player, he played on a horrendous defense and many of his tackles were stops well beyond the line of scrimmage. Evans got a lot of tackles because so many of his teammates played so poorly (not putting defensive end Brian McNally in that category) this season. A lot of Evans' tackles were not meaningful tackles.

UNH had a very good defense last year and Evans numbers were just as good.

[UNHFootballAlum]

UNH had a very good defense last year and Evans numbers were just as good.

+1

[clenz]

Complete ****ing horse****.....the one who should have won finished second.


L.J. led the nation in tackles...and had more tackles per game
L.J. had more TFL
L.J. had more forced fumbles
L.J. had more PBU, PD, and QBH according to each teams stats


The only thing Evans had was 2 more sacks, and more int's.


L.J. has better stats across the board and losses the award....horse ****ing ****.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Did The Sports Network release these names (for the Buchanan, Robinson and Rice awards) a day BEFORE the annual awards banquet? Very strange break in tradition.

On the subject of Evans winning the Buchanan Award, he wouldn't have been my pick (I would have probably gone with Adrian Hamilton). While Evans was a fine player, he played on a horrendous defense and many of his tackles were stops well beyond the line of scrimmage. Evans got a lot of tackles because so many of his teammates played so poorly (not putting defensive end Brian McNally in that category) this season. A lot of Evans' tackles were not meaningful tackles.

You can't be freaking serious! I shudder to think what UNH's record would have been this past season without his tackling ability. Exactly how many UNH games did you see in person or on film? I attended all 11 regular season games and was amazed at how often Evans came from a significant distance to make a tackle. His ability to read a play and the speed to cover ground then make a tackle was truly impressive. Why should he be vilified for that? If he hadn't made those tackles, UNH definitely loses a couple more games. Hardly meaningless!

I haven't seen any other Buchanan candidate play enough to make comparisons, but Matt Evans statistics were extremely meaningful. I'd be amazed if any of the others were as important to their team's defensive success as Evans was for UNH. And he was a huge part of the UNH success this season. He made the plays on the field in the way the games transpired. Your denigration of his play is truly insulting.

[Panther88]

Complete ****ing horse****.....the one who should have won finished second.


L.J. led the nation in tackles...and had more tackles per game
L.J. had more TFL
L.J. had more forced fumbles
L.J. had more PBU, PD, and QBH according to each teams stats


The only thing Evans had was 2 more sacks, and more int's.


L.J. has better stats across the board and losses the award....horse ****ing ****.

Calm down. lol

[Mattymc727]

Perhaps part of the decision making was that Evans was a finalist last year too. I know the award should be decided on one year only, but Evans is one of the premier defensive players in the FCS year after year, and he still has a year to go.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Perhaps part of the decision making was that Evans was a finalist last year too. I know the award should be decided on one year only, but Evans is one of the premier defensive players in the FCS year after year, and he still has a year to go.

This. Evans was in the top 5 or 3 the year before, as was Sherritt from EWU in 2009. Which is why I think BLM is gonna win the Payton. :D

[Screamin_Eagle174]

You can't be freaking serious! I shudder to think what UNH's record would have been this past season without his tackling ability. Exactly how many UNH games did you see in person or on film? I attended all 11 regular season games and was amazed at how often Evans came from a significant distance to make a tackle. His ability to read a play and the speed to cover ground then make a tackle was truly impressive. Why should he be vilified for that? If he hadn't made those tackles, UNH definitely loses a couple more games. Hardly meaningless!

I haven't seen any other Buchanan candidate play enough to make comparisons, but Matt Evans statistics were extremely meaningful. I'd be amazed if any of the others were as important to their team's defensive success as Evans was for UNH. And he was a huge part of the UNH success this season. He made the plays on the field in the way the games transpired. Your denigration of his play is truly insulting.


Thanks Matt Evans.

[Mr. C]

UNH had a very good defense last year and Evans numbers were just as good.

Last year really should have nothing to do with this year's awards. I am not saying that Evans is not an All-American linebacker, just that his numbers this year are very misleading. I watched him get like 24 tackles one afternoon at Lehigh on a day when Lehigh torched the Wildcat defense. Obviously, those were not impact tackles.

[Mr. C]

You can't be freaking serious! I shudder to think what UNH's record would have been this past season without his tackling ability. Exactly how many UNH games did you see in person or on film? I attended all 11 regular season games and was amazed at how often Evans came from a significant distance to make a tackle. His ability to read a play and the speed to cover ground then make a tackle was truly impressive. Why should he be vilified for that? If he hadn't made those tackles, UNH definitely loses a couple more games. Hardly meaningless!

I haven't seen any other Buchanan candidate play enough to make comparisons, but Matt Evans statistics were extremely meaningful. I'd be amazed if any of the others were as important to their team's defensive success as Evans was for UNH. And he was a huge part of the UNH success this season. He made the plays on the field in the way the games transpired. Your denigration of his play is truly insulting.

You are barking up the wrong tree and yes I am very serious. As a national columnist covering FCS, I saw Evans twice in person and the Wildcat defense got torched in both games (Lehigh and Towson). Evans had a lot of tackles and it didn't impact the game. I also saw numerous other games on film and personally have felt like Brian McNally was the best player in the UNH defense. I know McNally had some injury issues and didn't put up the same production he had in 2010, but, to me, he is a guy you really have to scheme to stop. Like you say, you don't see other teams play and unfortunately, the voters for the most part only see one game a week as well. I am not denigrating his play at all, just saying he isn't the top defensive player in the country and that he played on a truly BAD defense.

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

Thanks Matt Evans.

No, Matt is much better looking (and younger)

[UNHFootballAlum]

You can't be freaking serious! I shudder to think what UNH's record would have been this past season without his tackling ability. Exactly how many UNH games did you see in person or on film? I attended all 11 regular season games and was amazed at how often Evans came from a significant distance to make a tackle. His ability to read a play and the speed to cover ground then make a tackle was truly impressive. Why should he be vilified for that? If he hadn't made those tackles, UNH definitely loses a couple more games. Hardly meaningless!

I haven't seen any other Buchanan candidate play enough to make comparisons, but Matt Evans statistics were extremely meaningful. I'd be amazed if any of the others were as important to their team's defensive success as Evans was for UNH. And he was a huge part of the UNH success this season. He made the plays on the field in the way the games transpired. Your denigration of his play is truly insulting.

+1

[UNHFootballAlum]

Last year really should have nothing to do with this year's awards. I am not saying that Evans is not an All-American linebacker, just that his numbers this year are very misleading. I watched him get like 24 tackles one afternoon at Lehigh on a day when Lehigh torched the Wildcat defense. Obviously, those were not impact tackles.

Most of those Lehigh scores were through the air where matt Evans was not involved in the play. I am surprised that you don't look at the game within the game. Jared Allen of the Vikings just made all Pro on a bad Minnesota defense

[Mattymc727]

How about Clay Matthews and Vince Wilfork...they played on some of the worst defenses in NFL history, yet are pro bowlers and still considered the best at their position

[Mr. C]

And Evans is rightfully on most, if not all of the All-American teams (two more to be released early next week). But he shouldn't be considered the best defensive player in FCS. He wasn't even voted the best defensive player in his own conference.

[Mr. C]

Most of those Lehigh scores were through the air where matt Evans was not involved in the play. I am surprised that you don't look at the game within the game. Jared Allen of the Vikings just made all Pro on a bad Minnesota defense

And you are telling me that LBs are not involved in pass defense? Funny you didn't mention how Towson sliced the Wildcat defense open on the ground.

[clenz]

And Evans is rightfully on most, if not all of the All-American teams (two more to be released early next week). But he shouldn't be considered the best defensive player in FCS. He wasn't even voted the best defensive player in his own conference.

Where as L.J. Fort has been on 6 All American teams (he was a first-team All-America pick by 5 placesThe Sports Network, Walter Camp, Phil Steele, and College Sports Madness, Beyond Sports Network, and a bull **** third-team selection by the Associated Press.), won the MVFC defensive player of the year, had better stats, etc...