Five Scarlet Knights Receive ECAC Football All-Star Honors
Dec 22 | Football
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The honors continue to roll in for the No. 16 Rutgers football team as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) released its annual All-Star team for the 2006 season. Five Scarlet Knights earned a spot on the 2006 All-Star team, including senior tight end Clark Harris (Manahawkin, N.J.), senior punter Joe Radigan (Hoboken, N.J.), junior defensive tackle Eric Foster (Homestead, Fla.), junior offensive guard Jeremy Zuttah (Edison, N.J.) and sophomore running back Ray Rice (New Rochelle, N.Y.).
The ECAC will honor seven football players of the year and rookies of the year this month. These will include one each in Division I-A, I-AA and II and four in the Division III (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest).
Harris earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors for the third-consecutive year. He holds the third-longest streak for consecutive games with a reception in BIG EAST history, having caught a pass in 38-straight games, a streak which ended against Louisville (11/9). The senior tight end ranks sixth in the RU career record book in both receiving yards (1,893) and career receptions (136). He has recorded multiple receptions in seven of RU's 12 games and is tied for seventh in career touchdowns with 11.
Radigan was also a First Team All-BIG EAST selection. He ranked ninth in the country and first in the BIG EAST, averaging 44.1 yards per punt. The senior was also named Rutgers' Special Teams Most Valuable Player. He set a new school record with a 78-yard punt in the Illinois game on Sept. 9.
Foster earned First team All-America honors by the Football Writers Association in 2006. He was also a First Team All-BIG EAST selection Co-Captain of the Scarlet Knights for the 2006 season. He started all 12 games and is ranked 32nd in the country and third in the BIG EAST in tackles-for-loss per game, averaging 1.2 per contest. The defensive tackle is tied for sixth in the BIG EAST, averaging 0.5 sacks per game.
Zuttah was also an All-BIG EAST First Team selection. He paved the way for a Rutgers rushing offense that is ranked 20th in the country, and has allowed the second-fewest sacks in the nation. The tackle helped pave the way for nearly 200 rushing yards per game this season, Zuttah has contributed to a Rutgers blocking effort that allowed both Brian Leonard and Rice to rush for 100 yards apiece in the win over Syracuse on Nov. 25, marking the first time since 1994 the Scarlet Knights have had two 100-yard performers in a game.
Rice was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, given to the nation's top player and enters the bowl game a finalist for the Cingular All-America Player of the Year Award. The sophomore was named Second Team All-America by the Walter Camp Foundation and Rivals.com as well as a First Team All-BIG EAST pick. He ranks fourth in the country in rushing, averaging 135.3 yards per game and is sixth in the nation in scoring with 9.6 points per game. He was the recipient of the Homer Hazel Trophy, awarded to the Rutgers MVP Rice leads Rutgers' rushing attack, scoring multiple touchdowns in six games in 2006.
Rutgers will face Kansas State in the Texas Bowl in Houston, Texas on Dec. 28 at 8:00 p.m. (EST). The game will be televised by the NFL Network.
