University of Massachusets Athletics
Six Gridders Named To Phil Steele All-CAA Team
July 21, 2009 | Football
July 21, 2009
AMHERST, Mass. - Five UMass football seniors have been named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-CAA Team. Receiver Victor Cruz, left tackle Vladimir Ducasse, linebacker Josh Jennings, safety Jeromy Miles and tailback Tony Nelson all earned first-team honors. Both Ducasse and Miles were named to Steele's All-American team as well. Defensive lineman Kyle C. Harrington was named to the second team.
Cruz was 2008 a first-team All-CAA pick and Honorable Mention All-American by the College Sporting News in 2008. He led the CAA and UMass with 71 catches for 1064 yards and six touchdowns. He became the sixth 1,000-yard receiver in a single season in UMass history. He had the fourth-best single-season receiving yards total and fifth-best in catches for a year. He led the CAA and ranks 13th in NCAA in receiving yards per game with 95.3. Also ranked second in CAA and tied for 27th in FCS with 6.2 catches per game. He had two games with 10 or more catches and three games with 100 or more yards.
A consensus preseason First-Team All-American, Ducasse was named a 2008 Honorable Mention All-American by the Sports Network. In his 24 career starts, UMass has had a 100-yard rusher in 16 of those games. In his games, UMass has allowed just 22 sacks, less than one a game. Ducasse if the only lineman to start every game last season, and each game at the same position (right tackle). He was been part of offensive line that has allowed just six sacks, the fewest in the CAA (0.5 per game) and second in the NCAA. UMass allowed ZERO sacks in final five games of the season. With Ducasse leading the way, the offense has five games of more than 400 yards of total offense including season-best 593 yards vs. Bryant (10/25). He also led for Tony Nelson's six 100-yard games this season including career-best 204 vs. Hofstra (11/22).
Linebacker Jennings was a first-team All-CAA performer after tying for the team lead with three interceptions while racking up 90 tackles, second most. Jennings also won CAA Defensive Player of the Week three times, including after his career-high two interceptions on Nov. 3 at Rhode Island.
A 2009 preseason consensus All-American, Miles was a 2008 Sports Network All-America Team second team and an All-CAA first team selection as a junior after pacing the Minutemen with 104 tackles to go with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He sealed a win at Northeastern on Oct. 11 with a late fumble recovery, only one week after clinching the victory over Delaware with a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Tailback Nelson was also a 2008 CAA first-teammer. He finished third in CAA in rushing with 110.4 yards per game, to rank 17th in the nation. He was also third in the CAA in rushing touchdowns with 12. Nelson finished third in CAA with 1,325 yards on 243 carries and 12 TDs. He became the 10th different UMass rusher to gain 1,000 this season, giving UMass a 1,000-yard rusher for the seventh year in a row. His total of 1,325 is eighth-best single-season in UMass history. 243 carries ties for 12th-most in a season and 12 rushing touchdowns also ranks for 12th-best single-season in UMass history. Nelson enters his senior year with a career total of 2,046 ranks as the ninth-most in UMass history with senior season to come. He won the New England Writers Golden Helmet on Sept. 2.
Harrington was a third-team All-CAA selection and CAA Academic All-Conference pick in 2008. In 2009, he will be a third-year starter at nose tackle who emerged in spring practice in 2007. He can bench-press 435 pounds of strength. Last year, he was fifth on team with 56 tackles along with 2.5 sacks, 3.5 TFLs and a pass deflection. He was third in the CAA in tackles among all defensive linemen
UMass will kick off its 2009 campaign on Sept. 5, at 7:10 p.m. in Manhattan, Kansas, against Kansas State.
