RICHMOND, Va. - Senior defensive tackle Yaky Ibia, senior wide receiver Hakeem Moore and junior fullback Tyler Wharton of the Tigers have been named as second team selections on the 2010 All-Colonial Athletic Association football team, it has been announced by CAA officials.
In addition, sophomore defensive end Frank Beltre and senior linebacker Donte Blakey were honored as third team All-CAA selections.
With five players earning All-CAA honors, it is the highest number of all-conference players that the Tigers have had since 2005. In 2005, seven Tigers were selected to the Atlantic 10 Football All-Conference teams. In 2005, Towson had one first team selection, a second team honoree and five third team choices.
Ibia, a 6-2, 295-pound tackle, was a three-year starter on the Tigers' defensive line. One of the Tiger co-captains as a senior, he made 55 tackles to finish seventh on the team. With 55 tackles in 11 games, he ranked fourth among defensive linemen in the CAA.
Honored as a pre-season All-CAA selection, Ibia led the Tigers with 13.5 tackles for lost yardage. He tied for second place in the CAA in tackles for lost yardage with senior Martin Parker of Richmond. Linebacker Joe Harris of Rhode Island led the CAA with 21 tackles for lost yardage.
Ibia, who recorded one sack as a senior, appeared in 44 career games and made 32 starts. He finished his career with 149 tackles, including 28.5 tackles for lost yardage and 3.5 sacks.
An outstanding student, he was a semi-finalist for the NFF's Campbell Trophy. As a junior, he was named to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors' Association All-Academic team.
"Yaky is one of the most respected defensive linemen in the league," says Coach Rob Ambrose. "With such great competition across the board, the recognition is a testament to his work ethics and desire. A great captain and mentor, his presence will be sorely missed."
The CAA runner-up with 129.8 all-purpose yards per game, Moore was the Tigers' second-leading receiver as a senior with 29 catches for 559 yards and six touchdowns. The CAA leader with 19.3 yards per receptions, he was seventh in the CAA with 50.8 receiving yards per game. Four of his six touchdown catches were 59 yards or more. He had 64-yard TD catches against Indiana and New Hampshire and caught a 62-yard TD pass at Columbia. He also had 59-yard TD reception at Villanova. A dangerous kickoff return specialist, he had 39 kick returns for a 21.6 average in 2010, seventh in the CAA.
With 3,499 all-purpose yards in 33 career games, Moore ranks third on the Tigers' all-time list of all-purpose yardage leaders. He also finished his career with 106 receptions for 1,397 yards and eight touchdowns. He is the 17th-leading receiver in the history of the program. He also had 92 kickoff returns for 2,030 yards and a 22.1 average.
"With the end of a great career comes acknowledgement of a job well done," says Coach Ambrose. "While in a class of many outstanding wide receivers in the CAA, Hakeem earned the respect of the opposing coaches and players."
Wharton, who was converted from linebacker to fullback prior to last season, appeared in all 11 games as a junior and started four times. Although he had only five carries and three receptions as a junior, his steady blocking helped the Tigers average 133.0 rushing yards per game, sixth in the CAA.
"Tyler is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential," says Coach Ambrose. "We expect great things from him next season."
An outside linebacker who played in ten games and made seven starts, Blakey had an outstanding senior season. He was tied for second on the team with 85 tackles and had nine tackles for lost yardage. He also recorded a sack and recovered two fumbles.
Blakey, who had a career high 13 tackles at Richmond, was 16th in the CAA with 8.5 tackles per game. He was also tied for 13th in the CAA with nine tackles for lost yardage and his two fumble recoveries tied him for fourth place in the CAA.
Despite missing most of his junior season with a shoulder injury, Blakey appeared in 34 career games and made 24 starts. He made 165 tackles, including 20.5 tackles for lost yardage. In his career, he recovered five fumble and recorded four quarterback sacks.
"The linebacker position is probably the strongest position across the CAA," says Coach Ambrose. "For Donte to be recognized by the other CAA coaches is in a word, awesome. It was great to see this young man grow into and chase his potential. Donte is the shining example of how the love of both the game and this program can bestow lasting benefits for both him and the University."
A second-year starter at defensive end, Beltre tied for second on the team with 85 tackles in 11 games. He also made 12.5 tackles for lost yardage. The winner of Towson University's Special Teams Player of the Year award in 2009, he ranked second among defensive linemen in the CAA with 7.7 tackles per game. Beltre, who made a career high 13 tackles against seventh-ranked James Madison, was fourth in the CAA with 12.5 tackles for lost yardage. He matched his career high with 13 tackles against Maine.
"By earning post-season recognition, Frank had shown that with hard work, trust and enthusiasm, one can achieve great things," says Coach Ambrose.
The Tigers, who lose 17 seniors, played one of the toughest schedules in NCAA FCS football this season. Of their ten losses, six of them were to CAA teams ranked in the NCAA FCS Top 20. Towson also lost to an NCAA FBS team, Indiana University, in the season opener.
The Tigers' only win of the season was also the longest game in school history. On Sept. 11, the Tigers came from behind to edge Coastal Carolina, 47-45, in five overtimes. Coastal Carolina bounced back and won the Big South Conference championship, earning a berth in the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
TIGER TALES: Four CAA teams, including #2 William & Mary (8-3), #3 Delaware (9-2), New Hampshire (7-4) and defending national champion Villanova were selected to play for the NCAA FCS championship ... CAA teams (Richmond in 2008, Villanova in 2009) won the last two national titles.
The Tigers closed out the regular season with a 38-19 loss to 14th-ranked New Hampshire ... The win enabled UNH to earn a berth in the NCAA FCS playoffs for the seventh year in a row.
Once again, turnovers were costly to the Tigers in the loss at UNH ... Towson turned the ball over four times ... The four turnovers led to 14 points by the Wildcats ... One of the Tiger turnovers occurred at the UNH one-yard line and kept the Tigers from scoring a touchdown ... Towson finished the season with a minus-14 turnover ratio, the worst mark in the CAA ... The Tigers turned the ball over 23 times, including eight lost fumbles and 15 interceptions ... Tiger opponents had nine turnovers as the Tigers intercepted two passes and forced seven fumbles.
In the season finale, sophomore Tremayne Dameron ran for 100 yards on 28 carries, the third 100-yard rushing game of his career ... He became the 20th player in Towson football history to rush for 1,000 yards in his career ... He now stands 18th on the all-time rushing list with 1,065 yards on 305 carries and he has scored 13 touchdowns.
Sophomore wide receiver Erron Banks led the Tigers was the Tigers' leading receiver with 40 receptions for 334 yards ... Sophomore safety Jordan Dangerfield led the Tigers with 96 tackles in 11 games.
