November 19, 2008

BLUFFTON, Ohio - Nine Bluffton University football players were recently honored by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference for their play during the 2008 season. The standout athletes were selected by the Heartland Conference coaches following the completion of the regular season. Bluffton ended the year with a 1-9 record, including a 0-7 mark in the HCAC.

Senior defensive lineman Kyle Rode (Delphos/Jefferson), who earned All-HCAC honors each of his four years at Bluffton, was named second team All-Heartland Conference after posting a career-high 53 tackles his final season. Rode took home first team honors as a sophomore and junior and he was an honorable mention selection his freshman year. The senior captain racked up 23 solo tackles and 8.5 TFL's for 37 yards this season. He wreaked havoc on opposing offenses to the tune of four sacks, two quarterback hurries and a pair of forced fumbles. For his career, Rode totaled 181 stops, including 32 behind the line of scrimmage. As a four-year starter, Rode ended his playing days at Bluffton with 22 sacks, six breakups, two interceptions, four forced fumbles and four blocked kicks. In Rode's last game at Bluffton, he lined up at fullback for the Beavers and shoved it across the goal-line for his first offensive touchdown against rival Defiance College.

Senior Mitch Agner (Leipsic) picked up his second consecutive second team All-HCAC award following his final season at Bluffton. After moving back a level to linebacker for his senior season, Agner had his finest year as a Beaver. He finished with a career-high 56 tackles, including a team-best 9.5 TFL's for 23 yards. Agner tallied two sacks, picked off two passes, had a breakup and forced two hurries by opposing quarterbacks. Although Agner was forced to miss the first two games of the season with an injury, he ended the year with the third-most tackles on the team. He finished with 70 career stops, 14.5 TFL's and three sacks.

Fifth-year senior Andrew Lovelace (Trumansburg, NY/Charles O. Dickerson) collected his first post-season Heartland Conference honor after being named second team All-HCAC. The wideout caught 16 passes for a team-high 227 yards. He picked up 14.2 yards per catch and he hauled in one touchdown and had a season-best 51-yard reception in Blufton's 23-15 win over Kalamazoo. As the Beavers' top return threat, Lovelace returned 35 kickoffs for 721 yards with a 58-yard scamper against the Hornets. He also added 93 punt return yards on 12 attempts. Lovelace finished his career at Bluffton with 40 receptions for 575 yards (14.4 avg.) and five touchdowns.

Junior kicker Jonathan Thompson (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) was honored as a second team All-Heartland Conference selection following his second season as a Beaver. He was a perfect 10-of-10 on extra points and put 7-of-11 field goal tries through the uprights for a team-high 31 points. The junior was 3-for-4 on 30-39 yarders and he booted a career-long 44-yard field goal at Anderson. Thompson punted 41 times for a 35.8 yard average with five touchbacks and six punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. His 28 kickoffs went for an average of 53.9 yards.

Freshman Antwane Miller (Canton/Timken) scored three touchdowns for the Beavers in 2008, all by different means, on his way to being honored as a second team All-Heartland Conference selection. He totaled 178 yards on the ground, despite just 22 rushes this season. His 77-yard reverse for a touchdown against Hanover was the Beavers' longest play from scrimmage. Miller caught a short pass over the middle and went to the house for a 45-yard score against MSJ and he also had an 80-yard kickoff return to paydirt at Rose-Hulman to finish the season with 18 points. He tallied 301 yards on 13 kickoff returns and hauled in 14 passes for 88 yards during his first season of collegiate football.

Senior Kyle Coleman (Etna/Watkins Memorial), the Beavers' starting quarterback in 2007, made a seamless transition to safety this season and he was rewarded by being named honorable mention All-Heartland Conference. Coleman racked up 46 tackles, including 21 solos, in his first season on the defensive side of the ball. He had a 45-yard interception return for a pick six against Hanover. Coleman forced a fumble and recovered a pair of fumbles while starting all 10 games in the Bluffton secondary. Late in the year, Coleman reprised his 2006 role as punter and drove 27 punts for a total of 1012 yards (37.5 avg.), including seven inside the 20 and a long boot of 61 yards at Anderson.

Junior Brandon Herr (Bluffton) earned honorable mention All-HCAC recognition for the second consecutive season. His 63 tackles were the second-highest total on the team, while his 41 solo stops topped all Beavers in 2008. For the season, the starting cornerback had two interceptions, a breakup, a forced fumble and a blocked extra point against Defiance. Through his first three years at Bluffton, Herr has 130 tackles, including 75 solos, four pickoffs and six breakups.

Sophomore Mitch Dunlap (St. Mary's), who moved into the starting lineup late in his freshman campaign, made his mark with 38 tackles from a cornerback position. He was selected honorable mention All-HCAC for his work in coverage against some of the top receiving threats in the Heartland Conference. Dunlap led the Beavers with four interceptions for 77 yards. He chipped in with a team-high five breakups and three fumble recoveries.

Freshman safety Steven Seaslcott (Van Wert) paced the Bluffton defense with 71 tackles, including 33 solos this season. He finished with two TFL's for a loss of seven yards and forced two fumbles during his first year with the Beavers. The defensive back earned honorable mention all-Heartland Conference acclaim for his work on the gridiron in 2008. -BEAVERS-