Record Eight Bulls Named To All-MAC Football Team

Shannon becomes first Bull to earn first-team All-MAC honors

Davonte Shannon

BUFFALO, NY – Through the first eight years of playing football in the Mid-American Conference, the University at Buffalo had a total of seven players named to its all-conference team. On Tuesday, UB had eight players named All-MAC after its record-setting 2007 season which culminated in the Bulls earning a share of the MAC East Division title.

Davonte Shannon (Jeannette, PA/Jeannette), Trevor Scott (Potsdam, NY/Potsdam), Jamey Richard (Weston, CT/Weston), James Starks (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls), Kareem Byrom (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick), Larry Hutchinson (Seattle, WA/Franklin), Jeff Niedermier (New Washington, OH/Buckeye Central) and Naaman Roosevelt (Buffalo, NY/St. Joseph’s Collegiate) all earned All-MAC honors.

Trevor Scott

“This is a great day for the University at Buffalo football program to see this kind of recognition within our conference,” said head coach Turner Gill. “The MAC is a highly-competitive league with great student-athletes and coaches. To see this kind of representation speaks to the efforts that our players and coaches put forth this season to earn the respect of our conference foes and to make our program one to be reckoned with now and in the future.”

Shannon, a true freshman, became the first UB player to be named All-MAC First Team since Buffalo's entrance into the league in 1999. Although, only entering the starting lineup in week four, Shannon finished the season with 123 tackles - the most by a UB player in its Division I-A era. He had 35 more tackles than any other player on the Bulls' squad. His 73 solo stops were also the most in the D I-A era. The Bulls' safety led all freshmen in the nation in tackles. He also led the Bulls in passes defended with eight and ranked second on the squad with three interceptions. He was one of only three freshmen named All-MAC.

Jamey Richard

Scott, a senior defensive end, was named All-MAC Second Team. He finished second in the conference and 18th in the nation with 10 sacks to go along with 46 tackles (15 for loss), seven quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles. He is a semifinalist for the Ted Hendricks Award and had more sacks per games played (19 sacks in 24 games) than any other player in the nation.

Richard was also named All-MAC Second Team. The senior center and anchor of the offensive line, helped paved the way for an offense that scored a Division I-A-record 291 points, produced the Bulls' first 1,000-yard rusher in the Division I-A era (Starks) and protected a quarterback that completed a school-record 258 passes (Drew Willy).

James Starks

Starks is the only repeat winner for the Bulls. The sophomore running back earned second-team kudos for the second year in a row. Starks rushed for a 1,103 yards to become the first UB running back in the Division I-A era to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He scored 12 touchdowns on the ground - the most in the D I-A era. Starks finished the season strong by averaging 129.4 yards rushing over the final seven games of the year, including a career-best 231-yard performance against Toledo. He also had 41 receptions for 311 yards and two touchdowns.

Kareem Byrom

Byrom, the Bulls' versatile linebacker, fought through an ankle injury to have one of his most productive seasons and earn third-team honors. Byrom finished the year with 86 tackles (43 solo), five tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and three pass break-ups. The Bulls' senior finished his career with 259 tackles. His 140 solo tackles are ninth most in school history.

Larry Hutchinson

Hutchinson, a fellow senior linebacker, had a breakout season to earn third-team honors. Hutchinson ranked second on the team with 88 tackles. He had 19 tackles for loss to rank second in the Mid-American Conference and set the school's Division I-A record. He also ranked second on the team with 5.5 sacks. His best game of the season came in the Bulls' win over Temple when he had eight tackles, including six solo stops, four tackles for loss and three sacks. He also had a pair of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery against the Owls.

Jeff Niedermier

Niedermier, the Bulls' right guard, started all 12 games for the Bulls and was named to the third team. He, along with Richard, opened running lanes that enabled Starks to rush for 1,103 yards. Niedermier and Richard are the first UB offensive linemen to earn All-MAC honors.

Roosevelt was named third-team All-MAC at the wide receiver position. The sophomore and Buffalo native led the Bulls with 63 receptions and 766 yards receiving. His 63 catches was the fourth-highest single season total in school history. The top three spots are held by former UB standout Drew Haddad. His 766 receiving yards were the 10th most in school history. He also caught four touchdown passes.

Naaman Roosevelt

The Bulls finished the season with an overall mark of 5-7 and a 5-3 mark in the MAC. It was the first time the Bulls have finished with a winning record in conference play. Buffalo is slated to return 18 of its 22 starters for the 2008 season.

11/27/2007