HAMILTON, N.Y. (11/23/10) – Colgate University junior running back Nate Eachus (Drums, Pa.), and senior defensive end Zach Smith (Thorofare, N.J.) were named Patriot League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, while seven other Raiders earned all-Patriot League first team honors, announced by the league office on Tuesday.

Eachus had one of the best seasons for a running back in Patriot League history, and was clearly the top player at the position in the Football Championship Subdivision. He carried 317 times for 1,871 yards and 21 touchdowns for the season, and also caught 17 passes for 160 yards and a score. The 1,871 rushing yards stand third in a single-season in Patriot League history, just four yards behind former teammate Jordan Scott (2007) for second place in League annals. Eachus averaged 170.1 rushing yards per game, which led the FCS by a wide margin of more than 22 yards per contest ahead of any other player. It is the second-best mark in Patriot League annals, just behind Scott's 170.5 average in 2007. Eachus' 21 rushing and 22 total touchdowns also led the nation as he topped the FCS with 12.0 points per game. The rushing-touchdown mark tied for the third-best single-season total in League history, while the 12.0 points per game are the second-highest in League annals. Eachus matched a Patriot League record with four 200-yard rushing performances, including a single-game League record 291-yard rushing day against Cornell on Oct. 16. He ran for 124 yards or more in 10 of Colgate's 11 games. Eachus was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the most outstanding player in the FCS.

Eachus will enter his senior season holding lofty positions in the Patriot League career record book. He is already in seventh place in League history with 3,722 career rushing yards, while his 47 rushing touchdowns stand fifth in League history and are just 10 off Scott's career mark. Eachus has seven 200-yard and 20 100-yard rushing games in his career, in reach of Scott's Patriot League records of eight and 29, respectively. He is Colgate's fifth Offensive Player of the Year award winner, and first since running back Jamaal Branch claimed the honor along with the Walter Payton Award in 2003. Eachus won Rookie of the Year honors in 2008, and is the first recipient of that award to go on to win the Offensive Player of the Year honor since Lafayette's Joe McCourt, the 2001 Rookie of the Year, earned the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2004.

Smith posted the first double-digit sack total for a Patriot League player since 2004, finishing the season with 44 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He finished eighth in the FCS with just under a sack per game, and his nine solo sacks tied for the sixth-best mark in the nation. Smith put together his biggest games in Colgate's three Patriot League victories. He had three sacks against Georgetown on Oct. 2, and was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for the performance. Smith also totaled 2.5 sacks versus Lafayette on Nov. 6 and two against Bucknell on Nov. 13. The 10.5 sacks matched the highest total for a Patriot League player since 2000. He helped the Raiders tie for the Patriot League lead and finish 13th nationally in sacks per game. Smith's 14.5 tackles for loss were second in the Patriot League and among the top 30 nationally. He is Colgate's fifth Defensive Player of the Year winner, and first since Tem Lukabu in 2005. Smith is the first defensive lineman to win the award since Bucknell's Sean Conover in 2004.

Eachus headlined the first-team All-Patriot League offense as one of the two running backs, while senior quarterback Greg Sullivan (Monroe, N.Y.) was named to the first team for the first time. Sullivan threw for 1,349 yards and eight touchdowns and also ran for 651 yards and another eight scores, and ends his career as the all-time Patriot League leader among quarterbacks with 2,337 rushing yards. Senior Gigi Cadet (Riverside, Conn.) took the fullback/h-back position on the first team after recording nine receptions for 142 yards, while senior Doug Rosnick (Langhorne, Pa.) was one of three wide receivers selected to the first team. Rosnick finished his senior campaign with 49 receptions for 646 yards and seven touchdowns. James Germano (Atlanta, Ga.), and Vittorio Ottanelli (Tampa, Fla.) were both named to the offensive line.

Smith was part of an outstanding first-team All-Patriot League defensive line, which also included senior Lamont Sonds (Hampton, Ga.). Sonds finished with 39 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. His eight sacks ranked second in the Patriot League, while senior linebacker Chris DiMassa (Coatesville, Pa.) led the Raiders with 92 tackles on the season, which ranked fourth in the league. DiMassa also recorded nine tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and two interceptions.


2010 All-Patriot League Football Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Nate Eachus, Colgate, Jr., RB
Defensive Player of the Year: Zach Smith, Colgate, Sr., DE
Rookie of the Year: Brandon Wesley, Bucknell, Fr., QB
Coach of the Year: Andy Coen, Lehigh

First-Team All-Patriot League
Offense
QB Chris Lum, Lehigh, Jr.
QB Greg Sullivan, Colgate, Sr.
RB Nate Eachus, Colgate, Jr.
RB Jay Campbell, Lehigh, Sr.
FB/HB Gigi Cadet, Colgate, Sr.
WR Mark Layton, Lafayette, Sr.
WR Doug Rosnick, Colgate, Sr.
WR Ryan Spadola, Lehigh, So.
TE Alex Schneider, Holy Cross, Jr.
OL Ricky Clerge, Lehigh, Sr.
OL James Germano, Colgate, Sr.
OL Mike McCabe, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL Vittorio Ottanelli, Colgate, Jr.
OL Will Rackley, Lehigh, Sr.
RS John Kennedy, Lehigh, Sr.
PK Davis Rodriguez, Lafayette, Sr.

Defense
DL Josh Eden, Bucknell, Jr.
DL Andrew Schaetzke, Georgetown, Jr.
DL Zach Smith, Colgate, Sr.
DL Lamont Sonds, Colgate, Sr.
LB Chris DiMassa, Colgate, Sr.
LB Mike Groome, Lehigh, Jr.
LB Sean Lamkin, Holy Cross, Sr.
LB Ricky Otis, Holy Cross, Jr.
LB Al Pierce, Lehigh, Sr.
DB Jarard Cribbs, Lehigh, Sr.
DB Brandon Ellis, Lafayette, Jr.
DB Chandler Fenner, Holy Cross, Jr.
DB Jayah Kaisamba, Georgetown, Jr.
P Don Lemieux, Holy Cross, Sr.