University of Massachusets Athletics
Frohnapfel, Sharpe Named To All-New England Team
December 08, 2014 | Football
MANCHESTER, N.H. - As two of the best players nationally at their positions following the 2014 season, UMass football quarterback Blake Frohnapfel and wide receiver Tajae Sharpe were both named to the New England Football Writers Division I All-New England Team as announced Monday morning. The duo will be honored this Thursday at the New England Football Writers Captains and Awards Banquet in Stoneham, Mass., alongside defensive lineman Daniel Maynes.
The honor for Frohnapfel and Sharpe comes after the pair were named to the Mid-American All-Conference First Team last week. Frohanpfel was also named the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston's recipient of the Bulger Lowe Award which is presented to the top offensive and defensive players in New England. Maynes will also be honored at the banquet as the honoree of the Nason Award which goes to a senior in New England who has persevered against the odds to have success in football.
For Frohnapfel, the first team honor marked his second major post-season accolade as the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston recently named him the recipient of the Bulger Lowe Award which is given annual to the top offensive and defensive players in New England. The graduate student, who missed the last two games of the season due to injury, led the MAC in passing yards (3,345) and passing yards per game (334.5) while ranking second in passing touchdowns (23) and passing yards per completion (13.88). His passing yards ranked as the second-most in UMass' program history, while his 23 touchdowns were the sixth-most. His per game average ranked as the No. 1 mark for a single-season eclipsing the previous top mark by just over 70 yards. For a single-game performance, he threw for 589 yards against Bowling Green which stands as a UMass single-game record, a MAC single-game record and as the 20th-best single-game total in NCAA history.
Sharpe excelled thanks to Frohnapfel's passing and turned in career-best totals of 1,281 receiving yards and 85 receptions. Those totals were both the best in the MAC and stand as the second-most in program history for a single season. Nationally, the junior ranked fifth in receiving yardage, 8th in receiving yards per game (106.8) and 12th in receptions per game (7.1). He tied the UMass single-game record for receptions twice with 13 and had 239 yards receiving against Ball State which stands as the second-most for a single-game. On four occasions this year, he eclipsed the 100-yard mark receiving for a game.
The overall record of 3-9 marked an improvement from the previous two seasons at the Football Bowl Subdivision level for UMass. Five of those losses, however, came by seven points or fewer. UMass will be considered one of the top returning teams in 2015 with the bulk of its roster returning.
A total of 29 players representing 12 different teams were named to the 2014 New England Football Writers Division I All-New England team.
Ivy League champion Harvard University and Boston College lead the team with five selections each. Yale University has four picks. The University of New Hampshire, the top ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision had three players chosen as did Ivy League runner-up Dartmouth College. Northeast Conference champion Sacred Heart University and the UMass claimed two picks. Also named to the squad were players from Brown University, Bryant University, Central Connecticut State University, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Rhode Island.
The Ivy League had thirteen players selected, while the Colonial Athletic Association and Northeast Conference had four picks. Division I Bowl Subdivision teams produced eight honorees.
The team will be honored at the New England Football Writers Captains and Awards Banquet on Thursday, December 11, at the Montvale Plaza, in Stoneham, Mass. People interested in attending should contact Dick Lipe at Bentley University at 781-891-2334.
