Nov. 24, 2009
Bronx, N.Y. -
Photo Gallery of Fordham's All-Patriot League Selections
Eight members of the Fordham University football squad were honored today by being named All-Patriot League in voting by the League's seven head coaches. Being placed on the first team were senior wide receiver Jason Caldwell (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's), freshman punter Patrick Murray (Ramsey, N.J./Don Bosco Prep), junior tight end Stephen Skelton (El Paso, Tex./Burges) and senior offensive lineman Andrew Tyshovnytsky (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga). Receiving second team accolades were senior quarterback John Skelton (El Paso, Tex./Burges), junior defensive lineman Jordan Bledsoe (LaGrangeville, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes), senior defensive back Kelvin Colbert (Riverdale, Ga./Riverdale) and junior linebacker Nick Magiera (Carpentersville, Ill./Barrington).
Caldwell turned in one of the most productive season for a Fordham wide receiver this fall, catching 79 passes for 1,252 yards and nine touchdowns. The 79 receptions and 1,252 receiving yards are both the second best single season total in school history while his nine touchdown catches ties him for third. Caldwell leads the Patriot League in receptions per game (7.2) and receiving yards/game (113.8). He is second in the NCAA FCS in total receiving yards, third in receiving yards/game, tied for tenth in receptions/game and 28th in all-purpose yards/game.
On the year, Caldwell recorded seven 100-yard receiving games, including a nine-catch, 254-yard, four-touchdown game at Cornell on October 17th, tying Javarus Dudley's single-game mark for touchdown receptions in a game and finishing one shy of Dudley's school mark for receiving yards in a game.
Caldwell's brought his career totals to 115 receptions for 1,733 yards and 15 touchdowns this year. He is sixth on the Fordham all-time receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns lists.
Murray enjoyed a successful freshman season, punting 36 times for 1,507 yards, an average of 41.9 yards/punt, tops in the Patriot League and the fourth best single season average in Fordham history. His 41.9 average was also tenth best in the NCAA FCS. Murray had a long punt of 73 yards in the Colgate game on September 26th, tying him for the second longest punt at Fordham (the school record is 85 yards by Len Eshmont in 1939), and had eight punts that traveled more than 50 yards and seven that landed inside the opponent's 20.
Murray was named Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week following his collegiate debut against Columbia where he punted six times for 274 yards, an average of 45.7 yards/punt. Two of Murray's kicks landed inside the Columbia 20, helping the Rams trap the Lions in their own end, while his long on the day was a 54-yarder.
Stephen Skelton emerged as a pass-catching tight end in 2009, hauling in 63 passes from his brother, John, for 634 yards and six touchdowns. The 63 receptions are the most all-time for a Fordham tight end and the fifth best total in school history. Skelton had two 100-yard receiving games this fall, a ten-reception, career-high 138-yard game against Old Dominion on October 3rd and a career-high 13-catch, 102 yard contest against Holy Cross on October 31st. Skelton ranks fourth in the Patriot League in receptions per game (5.7), 34th in the NCAA FCS, and ninth in receiving yards per game (57.6)
Over his career, Stephen Skelton now has 85 receptions for 870 yards and seven touchdowns.
Tyshovnytsky, a three-year starter on the offensive line, started all eleven games at right tackle for Fordham this fall. He was a cog on the offensive line that helped the Rams set the school record for total offense in a season, amassing 5,377 yards, eclipsing the former record of 4,995 yards set by the 2002 team. The Rams lead the NCAA FCS in total offense (488.82 yards/game) and are second in passing offense (337.09 yards/game) and tied for second in first downs per game (23.64).
Tyshovnytsky also protected quarterback John Skelton, who set single season and career marks for most completions, most passing yards and most passing touchdowns.
John Skelton wrapped up a record-shattering career for the Rams this fall, closing out the year completing 284 of 441 passes (64.4%) for 3,708 yards and 26 touchdowns. He set new school marks for completions and passing yards, breaking Kevin Eakin's former school records of 247 completions for 3,072 yards set in 2003 as well as breaking Steve O'Hare's completion percentage record of 63.1% set in 1997. Skelton leads the NCAA FCS in passing yards/game (337.09) and total passing yards (3,708), is ranked second in total offense (348.18 yards/game), third in completions per game (25.82) and 14th in passing efficiency (149.95).
Skelton threw for over 300 yards eight times in eleven games this year, including four 400-yard games. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns against Cornell on October 17th, breaking the school record of 413 passing yards set by
Joe Moorhead in 1995 and coming up one shy of the school record for scoring passes of six, set by Kevin Eakin in 2003. Skelton then broke his own record two weeks later, completing 43 of 67 passes for 427 yards, all school records, against Holy Cross on October 31st. He finished one passing attempt shy of the NCAA FCS record for most pass attempts in a game without an interception, just missing the national mark of 68 set by Marshall's Tony Petersen against Western Carolina in 1987 (Peterson completed 34). Skelton surpassed his own school record of 420 passing yards in a game while breaking Matt Georgia's 1999 records of 36 completions and 65 attempts.
For his accomplishments, Skelton will play in the prestigious East-West Shrine Game on January 23, 2010, at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. He will be just the third player out of the Patriot League to appear in the game, joining Gordie Lockbaum (Holy Cross, 1987) and Adam Bergen (Lehigh, 2004).
Over his career, Skelton completed 802 passes for 9,923 yards and 69 touchdowns, all school marks. He shattered Joe Moorhead's career completions record of 518 while also surpassing Eakin's career marks for passing yards (6,112) and touchdowns (45).
Bledsoe, who moved over to the defensive line after playing on the offensive line his first two years at Fordham, led the Rams in tackles for loss with nine and was second in sacks with 4.5. On the year, he recorded 39 total tackles, 23 solo, while also registering a pass deflection. Bledsoe is seventh in the Patriot League in sacks (0.41/game) and tenth in tackles for loss (0.82/game). His best game in 2009 was a nine-tackle effort at Lafayette on October 17th, which included 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
Colbert closed out his Fordham career with a team-best 14 pass deflections in 2009, along with a team-high four interceptions. He leads the NCAA FCS in pass deflections per game (1.64) and is tied for the Patriot League lead in interceptions per game (0.36). Colbert also notched 32 total tackles on the year, 28 solo, including two for loss and one sack. His top game was an eight tackle effort against Lafayette on October 24th, tying his career-high.
Over his career, Colbert intercepted eleven passes and registered 38 pass deflections. He also amassed 132 tackles, 64 solo, including 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
Magiera, a two-year starter at linebacker, led the Rams in tackles this fall, compiling 80 total stops, 44 solo, including eight for loss and two sacks. He also recorded two pass deflections, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Magiera is tied for eleventh in the Patriot League in tackles for loss (0.73/game) and is ranked 13th in tackles (6.8/game). He recorded four games with a double digit tackle total, including each of the final three contests. His season-high was a career-high 12-tackle game at Lafayette on October 24th, which included two tackles for loss, and he matched that with another 12-tackle game against Bucknell on November 7th.
Over his three-year career, Magiera has registered 172 total tackles, 89 solo, including 23 for loss and ten sacks. He also has eight pass deflections in his career.
The Rams finished the regular season with a 5-6 overall record, 2-4 in the Patriot League.
