On ‘D,’ Robertson CAA’s Best
Posted: November 20, 2012
HARRISONBURG — All football season, James Madison coach Mickey Matthews said Stephon Robertson was the best defensive player in Division I-AA. Perhaps so, but there’s no doubt he’s the best in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The CAA on Monday named Robertson as its Defensive Player of the Year, an honor quite familiar to the Dukes. The junior middle linebacker became the fifth JMU player since 2005 to be named the conference’s top defender.
Robertson also was one of 10 Madison players — four first-teamers — to be named all-conference Monday.
“My dad always said, ‘If you just play the way you play, everything will take care of itself with personal accolades; those just come naturally,” Robertson said Monday by phone from his home in Alexandria, minutes before celebrating at Joe’s Crab Shack. “That’s exactly how I took it.”
But the award was bittersweet.
The Dukes went 7-4 and finished ranked 17th in The Sports Network’s Division I-AA poll this season but missed the playoffs after losing their regular-season finale 38-28 to Old Dominion on Saturday.
“I would trade it a million times for a spot in the playoffs,” Robertson said.
Robertson, who found out about the award Monday morning when defensive coordinator Kyle Gillenwater texted him, said he thought he might win it, though.
“I honestly felt like, after every game, coaches I was talking to would tell me about how good a player I was,” Robertson said. “I just had a feeling that this year things were, hopefully, going to go my way with personal awards and stuff, ’cause I knew, if I played hard, everything would take care of itself.”
The league’s 11 head coaches voted on the award, and their decision wasn’t surprising. The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Robertson was popular with opposing coaches all season. On teleconferences and in post-game interviews, they always singled him out as a big-time player.
A three-year starter, Robertson ranked third this season in the CAA with 101 total tackles (48 solo), averaging 9.2 per game. Delaware senior linebacker Paul Worrilow, a first-team All-CAA pick along with Robertson, led the conference with 107 tackles.
Robertson had 8.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, one sack and one interception.
“I think he’s vastly improved as a pass defender,” Matthews said. “As evidenced the other night in the Old Dominion game, he is an excellent open-field tackler. He’s a great blitzer. … He gets everyone lined up. He makes all our checks at the line of scrimmage. He knows where everyone’s supposed to be. He’s just a heck of a player.”
Robertson led one of the CAA’s top defenses, which allowed 323.3 yards (second best) and 21 points (tied for second best) per game.
“We basically were one of the top defenses in the nation this year because of him,” Matthews said.
The Dukes ranked 24th in I-AA out of 121 teams in total defense and tied for 24th with Dartmouth and Villanova in scoring defense.
CAA associate commissioner Scott Meyer wouldn’t reveal the vote tallies or who Robertson beat for the award but said it “was a very close vote involving more than two players.”
Three other Dukes joined Robertson as first-team All-CAA picks: offensive guard Earl Watford, punt returner Ryan Smith and safety Dean Marlowe.
Tailback Dae’Quan Scott, tight end Brian Barlow and kicker Cameron Starke were named second-team for Madison, and defensive end/tackle Tyler Snow, safety Jakarie Jackson and punter David Skahn were named third team.
Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinicke was the Colonial’s no-duh Offensive Player of the Year; William & Mary’s B.W. Webb and Georgia State’s Albert Wilson were the Co-Special Teams Players of the Year; Villanova quarterback John Robertson was the Offensive Rookie of the Year; and Delaware linebacker Jeff Williams was the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Villanova’s Andy Talley, whose team went 2-9 in 2011 but got the CAA’s automatic playoff bid in 2012, was named the Coach of the Year for the second time. The Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in the league in the preseason CAA coaches’ poll.
Robertson is the seventh JMU player to win the defensive award since it was created in 1980. He joins Chris Morant (1999), Derrick Lloyd (2001), Tony LeZotte (2005, 2007), Akeem Jordan (2006) and Arthur Moats (2009).
Moats, a former defensive end who now plays linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, also won the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the best defensive player in I-AA. Robertson is on the 20-player watch list for that award, which is voted on by media and sports information directors.
Robertson thought he had a chance at CAA Defensive Player of the Year; what about the Buchanan?
“That one’s pretty big,” Robertson said. “Moats won that one, so that’s pretty big, especially if you look at the past ones who won it — they go on to big things in the NFL. To win that would be the big one.”
The CAA on Monday named Robertson as its Defensive Player of the Year, an honor quite familiar to the Dukes. The junior middle linebacker became the fifth JMU player since 2005 to be named the conference’s top defender.
Robertson also was one of 10 Madison players — four first-teamers — to be named all-conference Monday.
“My dad always said, ‘If you just play the way you play, everything will take care of itself with personal accolades; those just come naturally,” Robertson said Monday by phone from his home in Alexandria, minutes before celebrating at Joe’s Crab Shack. “That’s exactly how I took it.”
But the award was bittersweet.
The Dukes went 7-4 and finished ranked 17th in The Sports Network’s Division I-AA poll this season but missed the playoffs after losing their regular-season finale 38-28 to Old Dominion on Saturday.
“I would trade it a million times for a spot in the playoffs,” Robertson said.
Robertson, who found out about the award Monday morning when defensive coordinator Kyle Gillenwater texted him, said he thought he might win it, though.
“I honestly felt like, after every game, coaches I was talking to would tell me about how good a player I was,” Robertson said. “I just had a feeling that this year things were, hopefully, going to go my way with personal awards and stuff, ’cause I knew, if I played hard, everything would take care of itself.”
The league’s 11 head coaches voted on the award, and their decision wasn’t surprising. The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Robertson was popular with opposing coaches all season. On teleconferences and in post-game interviews, they always singled him out as a big-time player.
A three-year starter, Robertson ranked third this season in the CAA with 101 total tackles (48 solo), averaging 9.2 per game. Delaware senior linebacker Paul Worrilow, a first-team All-CAA pick along with Robertson, led the conference with 107 tackles.
Robertson had 8.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, one sack and one interception.
“I think he’s vastly improved as a pass defender,” Matthews said. “As evidenced the other night in the Old Dominion game, he is an excellent open-field tackler. He’s a great blitzer. … He gets everyone lined up. He makes all our checks at the line of scrimmage. He knows where everyone’s supposed to be. He’s just a heck of a player.”
Robertson led one of the CAA’s top defenses, which allowed 323.3 yards (second best) and 21 points (tied for second best) per game.
“We basically were one of the top defenses in the nation this year because of him,” Matthews said.
The Dukes ranked 24th in I-AA out of 121 teams in total defense and tied for 24th with Dartmouth and Villanova in scoring defense.
CAA associate commissioner Scott Meyer wouldn’t reveal the vote tallies or who Robertson beat for the award but said it “was a very close vote involving more than two players.”
Three other Dukes joined Robertson as first-team All-CAA picks: offensive guard Earl Watford, punt returner Ryan Smith and safety Dean Marlowe.
Tailback Dae’Quan Scott, tight end Brian Barlow and kicker Cameron Starke were named second-team for Madison, and defensive end/tackle Tyler Snow, safety Jakarie Jackson and punter David Skahn were named third team.
Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinicke was the Colonial’s no-duh Offensive Player of the Year; William & Mary’s B.W. Webb and Georgia State’s Albert Wilson were the Co-Special Teams Players of the Year; Villanova quarterback John Robertson was the Offensive Rookie of the Year; and Delaware linebacker Jeff Williams was the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Villanova’s Andy Talley, whose team went 2-9 in 2011 but got the CAA’s automatic playoff bid in 2012, was named the Coach of the Year for the second time. The Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in the league in the preseason CAA coaches’ poll.
Robertson is the seventh JMU player to win the defensive award since it was created in 1980. He joins Chris Morant (1999), Derrick Lloyd (2001), Tony LeZotte (2005, 2007), Akeem Jordan (2006) and Arthur Moats (2009).
Moats, a former defensive end who now plays linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, also won the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the best defensive player in I-AA. Robertson is on the 20-player watch list for that award, which is voted on by media and sports information directors.
Robertson thought he had a chance at CAA Defensive Player of the Year; what about the Buchanan?
“That one’s pretty big,” Robertson said. “Moats won that one, so that’s pretty big, especially if you look at the past ones who won it — they go on to big things in the NFL. To win that would be the big one.”