Moats Brings Home the Hardware
Your 2009 Buck Buchanan Award Winner
JMU Senior defensive end Arthur Moats has officially won the 2009 Buck Buchanan Award. The award goes to the top defensive player in FCS football. Moats ran away with the award, finishing 110 points ahead of second place finisher, Eastern Washington linebacker J.C. Sherritt. The 110 point margin was the largest in the 15 year history of the Buchanan Award. Moats is the second Duke to win the award. JMU linebacker Derrick Lloyd captured it in 2001.
Anyone who saw Moats play this year, knows the guy is just a beast. He had a FCS best 23.5 tackles for loss and racked up 11 sacks. The Buchanan award is just the latest honor for Moats who was also named a first team All-America by the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, and Walter Camp Foundation. He was also first team All-CAA and CAA defensive player of the year. That’s not a bad haul for a guy who was left off The Sports Network’s pre-season All-America team. This almost makes up for The Sports Network robbing Rodney Landers of the Walter Payton Award last year. Almost.
I didn’t see much JMU football this season, but the games I did see point to Mr. Moats playing on Sundays.
Too bad Skolnitzky wasn’t around this year to pair with Moats. But on the bright side, he was kinda the poor man’s Jeremy Jarmon for the Skins…holding it down on the practice squad. The Skins actually got two rookies who lost NCAA eligibility due to performance enhancing drugs!
Moats can definitely make an NFL roster and will probably be drafted. Hopefully Jordan Stanton can step in for the Dukes in 2010!