Photo by: Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics
Hampton Earns Homer Hazel Award
Dec 02 | Football
Rutgers football senior banquet held Sunday
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Senior Saquan Hampton was honored with the Homer Hazel Award Sunday at the annual Rutgers football senior banquet. The award has been given out each season since 1953 to the most valuable player on the team.
In addition, Jon Bateky and Kevin Wilkins each were presented the Bender Trophy, which is awarded to linemen to properly recognize merit, while Giovanni Rescigno and Isaiah Wharton collected the Paul Robeson Award for performance, leadership and dedication to the program. For being the team's most elite scholar-athlete, Zack Heeman picked up Academic Excellence Award and Trevor Morris was acknowledged for cracking the top 10 in the RU record books in a career statistical category.
Captains Tariq Cole, Hampton, Jonah Jackson, Rescigno, Deonte Roberts and Wharton were also recognized for their leadership. Roberts is the only two-time captain in the group.
Hampton, an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, tied for the Big Ten lead and ranked 11th nationally with 1.3 passes defended per game in 2018 on 13 pass breakups and three interceptions. The free safety also totaled 65 tackles, including a game-high 11 versus then-No. 4 Michigan, three tackles-for-loss and a fumble recovery. In the game at Wisconsin, he became the first Scarlet Knight since 2012 with multiple interceptions in a contest.
Bateky started all 12 games at defensive tackle this season, totaling 47 tackles with 3.5 for loss, two sacks and a blocked field goal. He reached six tackles three times in the game, against Buffalo, Indiana and Michigan. Overall, Bateky played in 44 career games for the Scarlet Knights with 20 starts and had 99 tackles, 11.5 for loss, four sacks and three passes batted down.
Wilkins played in 47 consecutive games during his career with 18 tackles-for-loss, most on the active roster last season. He had 126 tackles overall and also contributed six pass breakups and one interception. In 2018, the defensive end collected 50 tackles with 48 stopping the run.
Rescigno recorded 1,776 passing yards and 370 rushing yards in 23 career games, being responsible for 11 touchdowns. He started 13 times at quarterback and led RU to Big Ten wins over Illinois, Purdue and Maryland in 2017. Rescigno started his collegiate finale in his home state at Michigan State, rushing for a career-high 61 rushing yards and throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass.
Wharton, who also previously collected the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for distinguishing himself through sportsmanship and ethical behavior, started all 48 games of his career. He became the first Scarlet Knight to start every game on offense or defense since Courtney Greene (2005-08). The cornerback totaled 36 career passes defended with four interceptions, and made 205 tackles with 14.5 for loss.
Heeman, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, was a semifinalist for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy, an award which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Also active in the community, he was a nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team, which is considered one of the most prestigious off-the-field accolades in college football. Heeman played in all 12 games as a senior and in 28 overall.
Morris became the third Scarlet Knight all-time to register three seasons of 100 or more tackles (Tyronne Stowe, Steve Longa). A two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten selection, he finished fourth in the league this year with 9.1 stops per game with 109 overall, 93 against the run, 12 in pass coverage, two on sacks, one covering a punt and one forcing a fumble. Morris is ranked ninth in program history with 335 career tackles, reaching double digits in 16 games, with a best of 19 in 2017 versus Michigan State, and leading or tying for the team high in stops 17 times. He ended with a career-high three pass breakups to go with an interception at Michigan State.
Roberts was second on the team with 87 tackles in 2018, including four for a loss, to finish 11th in the Big Ten at 7.9 per game. The two-time captain scored a touchdown on special teams in the game at Kansas by blocking a field goal and returning it 64 yards for the score. It was the first Scarlet Knights blocked field goal return for a touchdown since 2012. For his career, Roberts finished 12th in program history with 297 tackles over 47 games, leading or tying for the team lead in stops 12 times, recording eight games with 10 or more tackles with a high of 17 in the 2016 game at Michigan State.
Cole and Jackson both served as captains on an offensive line that that ranked second in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally with only 1.33 sacks permitted per game. Cole, a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten selection, played in 42 career games with 34 starts as a three-year starter at left tackle. Jackson played in 11 games at right guard this past season and is up to 28 games of experience with one more season remaining. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick by both the coaches and media as the only junior captain for Rutgers in 2018.
Rutgers Football Banquet Awards
Homer Hazel Award: Saquan Hampton
David Bender Trophy: Jon Bateky & Kevin Wilkins
Paul Robeson Award: Giovanni Rescigno & Isaiah Wharton
Academic Excellence Award: Zack Heeman
Top-10 Career Record Holder: Trevor Morris
Team Captains: Tariq Cole, Saquan Hampton, Jonah Jackson, Giovanni Rescigno, Deonte Roberts, Isaiah Wharton
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding football, follow the program on Twitter (@RFootball). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
In addition, Jon Bateky and Kevin Wilkins each were presented the Bender Trophy, which is awarded to linemen to properly recognize merit, while Giovanni Rescigno and Isaiah Wharton collected the Paul Robeson Award for performance, leadership and dedication to the program. For being the team's most elite scholar-athlete, Zack Heeman picked up Academic Excellence Award and Trevor Morris was acknowledged for cracking the top 10 in the RU record books in a career statistical category.
Captains Tariq Cole, Hampton, Jonah Jackson, Rescigno, Deonte Roberts and Wharton were also recognized for their leadership. Roberts is the only two-time captain in the group.
Hampton, an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, tied for the Big Ten lead and ranked 11th nationally with 1.3 passes defended per game in 2018 on 13 pass breakups and three interceptions. The free safety also totaled 65 tackles, including a game-high 11 versus then-No. 4 Michigan, three tackles-for-loss and a fumble recovery. In the game at Wisconsin, he became the first Scarlet Knight since 2012 with multiple interceptions in a contest.
Bateky started all 12 games at defensive tackle this season, totaling 47 tackles with 3.5 for loss, two sacks and a blocked field goal. He reached six tackles three times in the game, against Buffalo, Indiana and Michigan. Overall, Bateky played in 44 career games for the Scarlet Knights with 20 starts and had 99 tackles, 11.5 for loss, four sacks and three passes batted down.
Wilkins played in 47 consecutive games during his career with 18 tackles-for-loss, most on the active roster last season. He had 126 tackles overall and also contributed six pass breakups and one interception. In 2018, the defensive end collected 50 tackles with 48 stopping the run.
Rescigno recorded 1,776 passing yards and 370 rushing yards in 23 career games, being responsible for 11 touchdowns. He started 13 times at quarterback and led RU to Big Ten wins over Illinois, Purdue and Maryland in 2017. Rescigno started his collegiate finale in his home state at Michigan State, rushing for a career-high 61 rushing yards and throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass.
Wharton, who also previously collected the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for distinguishing himself through sportsmanship and ethical behavior, started all 48 games of his career. He became the first Scarlet Knight to start every game on offense or defense since Courtney Greene (2005-08). The cornerback totaled 36 career passes defended with four interceptions, and made 205 tackles with 14.5 for loss.
Heeman, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, was a semifinalist for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy, an award which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Also active in the community, he was a nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team, which is considered one of the most prestigious off-the-field accolades in college football. Heeman played in all 12 games as a senior and in 28 overall.
Morris became the third Scarlet Knight all-time to register three seasons of 100 or more tackles (Tyronne Stowe, Steve Longa). A two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten selection, he finished fourth in the league this year with 9.1 stops per game with 109 overall, 93 against the run, 12 in pass coverage, two on sacks, one covering a punt and one forcing a fumble. Morris is ranked ninth in program history with 335 career tackles, reaching double digits in 16 games, with a best of 19 in 2017 versus Michigan State, and leading or tying for the team high in stops 17 times. He ended with a career-high three pass breakups to go with an interception at Michigan State.
Roberts was second on the team with 87 tackles in 2018, including four for a loss, to finish 11th in the Big Ten at 7.9 per game. The two-time captain scored a touchdown on special teams in the game at Kansas by blocking a field goal and returning it 64 yards for the score. It was the first Scarlet Knights blocked field goal return for a touchdown since 2012. For his career, Roberts finished 12th in program history with 297 tackles over 47 games, leading or tying for the team lead in stops 12 times, recording eight games with 10 or more tackles with a high of 17 in the 2016 game at Michigan State.
Cole and Jackson both served as captains on an offensive line that that ranked second in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally with only 1.33 sacks permitted per game. Cole, a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten selection, played in 42 career games with 34 starts as a three-year starter at left tackle. Jackson played in 11 games at right guard this past season and is up to 28 games of experience with one more season remaining. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick by both the coaches and media as the only junior captain for Rutgers in 2018.
Rutgers Football Banquet Awards
Homer Hazel Award: Saquan Hampton
David Bender Trophy: Jon Bateky & Kevin Wilkins
Paul Robeson Award: Giovanni Rescigno & Isaiah Wharton
Academic Excellence Award: Zack Heeman
Top-10 Career Record Holder: Trevor Morris
Team Captains: Tariq Cole, Saquan Hampton, Jonah Jackson, Giovanni Rescigno, Deonte Roberts, Isaiah Wharton
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding football, follow the program on Twitter (@RFootball). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
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