Aug. 24, 2005

EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Preseason recognition continues to pour in for Lafayette senior linebacker Maurice Bennett, who was one of 16 players named to the first "Buchanan Battle" list of the 2005 season on Wednesday.

Bennett (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington) was a first-team All-Patriot League selection as a junior after recording 119 tackles, and had nine games with double-digit stops. He was named a second-team Preseason All-American and the fifth-rated linebacker in I-AA football by The Sports Network, and was a first-team Preseason All-Patriot League selection by I-AA.org.

He led Lafayette and was second in the league with 108 tackles as a sophomore. Bennett has accumulated 270 career stops, including 18 ½ tackles for loss, and was credited with four sacks in each of the last two seasons. He has also forced four fumbles, recovered two more, and has a pair of interceptions.

The Buck Buchanan Award, named for Junious "Buck" Buchanan, goes to the top defensive player in NCAA Division I-AA football. Buchanan was a standout defensive lineman under legendary head coach Eddie Robinson at Grambling from 1959 through 1962. The top pick in the 1963 AFL Draft, Buchanan was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a 13-year career with Kansas City Chiefs.

The complete "Buchanan Battle" list, along with the history of the award, may be found by going to The Sports Network's I-AA College Football page. Information on the Walter Payton Award for the top offensive player, and the Eddie Robinson Award, which is presented to the Coach of the Year, is also included.

Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani placed sixth in last year's Eddie Robinson voting after guiding the Leopards to an 8-4 record, the Patriot League championship, and the school's first-ever postseason appearance.

The Leopards open the season on Sept. 3 with a 7:00 p.m. kick-off at Marist.