PISCATAWAY, NJ - Six Rutgers University football players have earned All-BIG EAST honors, including kickoff and punt returner Willie Foster (Miami, FL), who was named the BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year, the Conference office announced today.
Foster was also named to the All-BIG EAST First Team as a kick returner/punt returner along with offensive lineman John Glass (Allentown, PA), tight end Clark Harris (Manahawkin, NJ) and defensive end Ryan Neill (Wayne, NJ). Wide receiver Tres Moses (Delray Beach, FL) and running back Brian Leonard (Gouverneur, NY) were named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
This marks the first time that Rutgers has placed six players on All-BIG EAST teams. In 2004, the Scarlet Knights placed five players on All-BIG EAST teams. Neill and Harris are First Team honorees for the second consecutive year. Glass was a Second Team choice last season, while Leonard and Moses were First Team selections in 2004.
Foster returned 27 kickoffs for 633 yards (23.4 avg.), including a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown vs. Villanova on Sept. 10, which earned him BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He also returned 15 punts for 164 yards (10.9 avg.), including a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown vs. Pittsburgh on Sept. 30. Foster is the first Scarlet Knight to return a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same season since 1980. Foster's 10.9-yard punt return average is fourth in the BIG EAST and 27th nationally, while his 23.4 kick return average ranks third in the conference and 46th in the country.
A fixture on the Scarlet Knight offensive line the past three seasons, Glass anchors an offensive line that has helped produce Rutgers' first 1,000-yard rusher since 1994 in Ray Rice (1,012 yards). Glass was integral in Rutgers' 203 yard-rushing and 250-yard passing performance in a 37-29 victory over Pittsburgh. He also played a key role in RU's season-high 238-yard rushing performance against Connecticut on Oct. 22 and helped Rutgers achieve a season-high 574 yards of offense in the rousing 44-9 regular season finale win over Cincinnati on Nov. 26. The 574 yards were the most produced by the Scarlet Knights in a single game since 1993.
Harris, a preseason member of the Mackey and Rotary/Lombardi Watch Lists, had 32 catches for 499 yards and two touchdowns this season. Harris, who has caught at least one pass in 29 consecutive games, ranked seventh in BIG EAST in receiving yards per game (45.4) (tops among tight ends) and 10th in the league in receptions per game (2.91). One of four active Scarlet Knights with more than 100 career receptions, Harris had four receptions for a season-best 95 yards at Connecticut on Oct. 22 and is averaging 15.6 yards per catch.
Neill was a Lombardi Award and Draddy Award candidate, was a finalist for the Hendricks Award and the Wuerffel Trophy, and was recently named a finalist for the Awards and Recognition Association (ARA) Sportsmanship awards. A fifth-year senior, Neill's 20.5 tackles for loss are tied for fourth nationally. He is also tied for 18th nationally in sacks (0.82), is second in the BIG EAST in TFLs and tied for third in sacks (9.0). Neill is tied for fifth all-time (18.0) and ninth on the school's single-season list (9.0) for sacks. A tri-captain this season, Neill has started 35 career games. He was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12 following his performance in RU's 38-6 win over Villanova when he had seven tackles, including a career-high 4.5 TFLs, and a fumble recovery in the win over the Wildcats.
Leonard, a preseason member of the Doak Walker Watch List for the second-straight year, leads the Scarlet Knights in receptions (49), scoring (90 points) and all-purpose yards (1,164). He ranks eighth in the BIG EAST in rushing yards/game (63.1) and sixth in all-purpose yards (105.8/game). He also ranks fifth in the BIG EAST and is tied for 31st nationally in scoring (8.2/game). He opened the season at Illinois on Sept. 3 with 128 yards on 12 carries, including an 83-yard TD run, which tied for the fifth-longest in school history. He has gained 100 or more all-purpose yards in 21 of his last 26 games and has caught at least one pass in all 33 career games.
Moses, a preseason member of the Biletnikoff Watch List and a tri-captain this season, has 38 catches for a team-leading 645 yards this season. He is fourth in the BIG EAST in receiving yards per game (58.6) and fifth in receptions per game (3.5). He hauled in five passes for 81 yards in season opener at Illinois on Sept. 3 and then caught seven passes for 114 yards the following week in win over Villanova on Sept. 10. He caught five passes for 117 yards, aided by a season-long 44-yard catch vs. South Florida on Nov. 5, the seventh 100-yard reception day of his career. His 17.0 yards per reception is tops on the team. He is Rutgers' all-time leader in career receptions (185), yardage (2,409) and is third in TD receptions (15).
