Brittingham Named One of Eight Harlon Hill Finalists

FLORENCE, Ala. -- A field of 26 candidates has been trimmed to eight national finalists in regional voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year.

The top two players from each of the Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest regions advanced through regional voting. The finalists were selected by the NCAA Division II sports information directors in regional voting and will now be placed on the national ballot where all 152 of the division's SID's will select the award's nineteenth winner.

The list of finalists was announced by Harlon Hill Voting Coordinator Dee Corum and is comprised of four quarterbacks, two running backs, a wide receiver and a linebacker.

Six of the finalists helped lead their teams into the NCAA Division II playoffs this season. A record five finalists are juniors and there is also one sophomore on the ballot. The most non-seniors in any previous group of Hill finalists were four in 1998, 1999 and 2002.

Advancing from the Northeast region are running back Jamar Brittingham of Bloomsburg and quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger of East Stroudsburg.

Finalists from the Southeast region are quarterback Scott Eyster of Delta State and North Alabama receiver and kick returner Anthony Merritt. Linebacker Digger Anderson of North Dakota and quarterback Wesley Beschorner of South Dakota advanced from the Northwest region, and quarterback Dalton Bell of West Texas A&M and running back Germaine Race of Pittsburg State were selected from the Southwest region.

The Hill Trophy is sponsored by Coca-Cola, the City of Florence, Ala., Trustmark Construction, TNT Fireworks and the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa.

Candidates for the 2005 Hill Trophy were nominated by the sports information directors at their respective schools and those nominations were then reviewed by the Hill Regional Advisory Committees, which trimmed the list of candidates.

National voting will conclude on November 23 and the top three finishers will be invited to the Shoals for the presentation banquet. The winner of the 2004 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Football Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, December 9 in Florence, prior to the NCAA Division II Football Championship Game on Dec. 10.

Tickets are $45 each or $360 for a table of eight and can be purchased by calling the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at (256) 764-4661.

Brittingham, a sophomore from Levittown, Pa., was named the PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Year and first team All-PSAC Eastern Division. He earned PSAC East Player of the Week five times, including three consecutive weeks and had four games with 200 or more yards rushing, including a career-high 250 yards against Slippery Rock. He also scored four touchdowns in a game three different times and scored the game-winning touchdowns in wins over NCAA playoff teams East Stroudsburg and West Chester during the regular season. He leads NCAA D-II (and all of college football)in rushing yards per game with 187.5 and is tied for the NCAA D-II (and all of college football) lead in scoring with 17.5 points per game. He ranks fourth nationally in all-purpose yards with 211.9 per game and set school and conference records for most yards rushing in a season with 2,060 and in scoring with 32 touchdowns and in rushing touchdowns with 30 (broke the marks in all three categories of 1997 Harlon Hill winner Irv Sigler). On the year he has gained 10 or more yards on 25 percent of his carries during the year (73 of 287).

Anderson, a senior from Coon Rapids, Minn., was recently named to the All-North Central Conference team for the third straight season and was named the league's Most Outstanding Linebacker for the second time. He ranks fifth in Division II history with 225 solo tackles and he has made 352 total stops - including 85 this season.

Bell, a junior from Canyon, Texas, has helped lead his team to a 10-1 record and into the Division II playoffs. The current Division II leader in total offense, Bell has averaged 365 total yards per game and has thrown for 3,620 yards and 30 touchdowns this season.

Beschorner, a senior from Lohrville, Iowa, tied or set 29 school records this season and was named North Central Conference Back of the Year. He threw for 39 touchdowns this season, accounted for 3,500 yards of total offense and became just the second quarterback in Division II history to record at least a 215 passing efficiency rating.

Eyster, a junior from Hammond, La., was named Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year

after throwing for 2,107 yards and 23 touchdowns. In three seasons at Delta State, Eyster has thrown for 9,961 yards and 80 touchdowns and amassed 10,340 yards of career total offense.

Merritt, a junior from Box Springs, Ga., has set numerous school and Gulf South Conference records this season in leading North Alabama to a 9-2 record and into the second round of the Division II playoffs. He has ranked nationally in five categories all season and was selected first-team All-GSC as both a receiver and kick returner. He has 1,902 all-purpose yards and has scored 12 touchdowns.

Race, a junior from Warrensburg, Mo., ranks second in Division II in scoring and rushing, gaining 153 yards rushing and scoring 16 points per game. In helping lead Pittsburg State to a 9-3 record and into the second round of the Division II playoffs, Race has gained 1,863 all-purpose yards and scored 32 touchdowns. His 192 points this season is tied for the best among any NCAA division this season.

Terwilliger, a junior from East Stroudsburg, Penn., has set Division II records for career games with at least 300 yards passing (21) and consecutive games with a touchdown pass (34). He has completed 203 of 327 passes for 3,676 yards and 39 touchdowns- including nine in one game. He has already topped the 10,000 career passing yard plateau as a junior.

The initial Harlon Hill Trophy was won by North Dakota State quarterback Jeff Bentrim in 1986, followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville running back Johnny Bailey - in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

Another North Dakota State quarterback, Chris Simdorn, claimed the 1990 award, followed by Pittsburg State receiver Ronnie West in 1991, Pittsburg State running back Ronald Moore in 1992, New Haven running back Roger Graham in 1993 and Valdosta State University quarterback Chris Hatcher in 1994. North Alabama linebacker Ronald McKinnon became the first defensive player to win the award when he claimed the Hill Trophy in 1995.

Truman State University running back Jarrett Anderson won the 1996 award and Bloomsburg University running back Irvin Sigler claimed the Hill Trophy in 1997 award. Running back Brian Shay of Emporia State won in 1998, followed by Northern Colorado quarterback Corte McGuffey in 1999 and Valdosta State quarterback Dusty Bonner in 2000 and 2001, and Grand Valley State quarterback Curt Anes in 2002. The 2003 trophy was awarded to North Alabama quarterback Will Hall, and Chad Friehauf of the Colorado School of Mines won the 2004 award.