(November 24, 2004) ?C Fordham University freshman running back Jonte Coven (Stone Mountain, GA/Stephenson) was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year by a vote of league coaches it was announced today. Coven becomes the second straight Fordham freshman to earn Rookie of the Year honors, joining sophomore placekicker Micah Clukey who won the award last year. Coven wasn??t the only Ram to earn Patriot League honors as four players earned First Team All-Patriot League honors and six more were named to the Second Team. Earning First Team All-League honors were senior center Jared Amatuzzo (Staten Island, NY/Msgr. Farrell), senior linebacker NaQuinton Gainous (Tallahassee, FL/Lincoln), senior defensive back Tad Kornegay (Trenton, NJ/Hamilton West) and sophomore placekicker Micah Clukey (St. Augustine, FL/St. Augustine). Fordham players on the Second Team include senior defensive linemen Ed Gordon (Freeport, NY/Freeport) and Aki Jones (Jamaica, NY/Christ the King), senior wide receiver Steve Porco (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan), senior linebacker Tyrone Thorne (Bronx, NY/J.F. Kennedy), junior tight end James Caffarello (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) and junior punter Anthony DiFino (Syracuse, NY/Christian Brothers Academy). Coven, who was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week three times in 2004, rushed 52 times for 223 yards and he returned one punt for 33 yards in eleven games. The 233 rushing yards and his 4.3 yards/carry average were both third best on the team. Amatuzzo, a 2004 team captain, was a mainstay on the Fordham offensive line, a line that allowed the Rams to average over 300 yards of offense per game. The offensive line allowed just 24 sacks on the year, third best in the league, while averaging 26.2 points per game. Gainous, a 2004 team captain who was named Second Team All-Patriot League in 2002 and 2003, led the league in tackles with an average of 10.8 tackles per game. In eleven games he totaled 119 total tackles, 64 solo. Included in the 119 tackles were a team-high 14.5 for a loss of 44 yards and two sacks. He also forced three fumbles and recovered two, one of which he returned eight yards for a touchdown in the season-opener against Rhode Island. He is sixth in the Patriot League in fumbles recovered and eighth in tackles for a loss per game. Kornegay, the 2004 Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, was named First Team All-Patriot League for the second straight season. This fall, He led the league in interceptions with eight, twice setting a school varsity record with three interceptions in a game. He first accomplished the feat against Duquesne on September 25th and then repeated it on October 9th versus Brown. The eight interceptions this year, third best in Fordham single season history, bring Kornegay??s career total to 14, tied for second best in Fordham history. Kornegay also broke up a team-high eight passes, second best in the conference, while recording 61 total tackles, 48 solo, good for third best on the squad. Clukey, the 2003 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and First Team All-League selection, connected on ten of his 12 field goal attempts in 2004, including a season-best 44-yarder against Brown on October 9th. He also was successful on 34 of his 35 PATs. The ten field goals on the year led the league while his scoring average of 5.8 points per game led the kickers and was sixth overall. The ten field goals booted by Clukey this year is the fifth best single season total for the Rams and brings his two-year total to 21, third best on the Fordham career list. Leading the Second Team selections for the Rams were four members of the defense. Gordon, a 2004 team captain, led the Fordham defensive line with 58 total tackles, 19 solo, which included 8.5 for a loss of 22 yards and a team-best five sacks. He also forced a fumble, broke up a pass and notched an interception this year. He finished the year 21st in tackles per game in the league. Jones, a 2003 First Team All-Patriot League selection, registered 32 total tackles, 14 solo, in ten games this fall. Included in his 32 tackles were six for a loss of 30 yards and a team-high five sacks. He also broke up a pass this season. Thorne, who started all eleven games in 2004, finished the year with 61 total tackles, tied for third best on the team. He was second on the team with 48 solo stops, and was second on the team with ten tackles for a loss of 40 yards. Thorne also recorded three sacks and intercepted two passes while breaking up five others and forcing one fumble. DiFino, who served as the starting punter this fall, averaged 37.1 yards/punts in his first year as a starter. His 37.1 average was tied for third best in the conference and he placed 17 of his 73 punts inside the opponents 20 while recording a long punt of 61 yards. Porco, who started all eleven games, led the Fordham receivers with 33 catches for 472 yards and eight touchdowns. He was sixth in the conference with an average of 3.00 receptions/game and was seventh in receiving yards per game (42.9). The 33 receptions brings his career total to 133, fourth best in school history, while his 472 yards brings his career total to 1,866 yards, also fourth best in school history. The eight scoring receptions ties for fourth best in Fordham history, and brings his career total to 17, also fourth best on the career list at Fordham. Caffarello, who started ten games at tight end this fall, caught 17 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, both fourth best on the team. Fordham finished the 2004 season with a 5-6 overall record, 2-4 in the Patriot League, under head coach Ed Foley. But the Rams could have easily been 8-3 as they lost two games by a single point and one in overtime.