Smith, Fuller Named to D3football.com All-East Region Team

2009 D3football.com All-East Region Team

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State College senior offensive guard Jeff Smith and junior running back Justin Fuller have been named to the 2009 D3football.com All-East Region Team.

A fixture at the right guard position, Smith anchored an outstanding offensive line which helped the Bears set the program single-season record with 3,057 rushing yards, breaking the previous mark of 2,961 yards set back in the 2003.  Bridgewater is currently ranked fifth in all of Division III in rushing offense with 305.7 yards per game.

The BSC offensive line also opened holes for 34 rushing touchdowns on the year and allowed just 11 sacks.  All told, the Bears racked up 3,797 yards of total offense as well as 41 touchdowns in ten games.

A native of Danvers, Massachusetts, Smith is making his second straight appearance on the All-East Region squad as he was a third team selection a year ago.  He was also named to the New England Football Writers Division II/III All-New England Team and was honored at the annual banquet on Thursday night.

Smith played and started all forty games for the Bears during the his four-year career.  Over the past four seasons, Bridgewater State rushed for 11,189 yards and 117 touchdowns thanks in part to Smith and his fellow offensive linemen. 

Fuller, who hails from Berkley, Massachusetts, was nothing short of sensational in his first season with the Bears after transferring from Springfield College. He accounted for 19 of BSC's 34 rushing touchdowns and amassed 1,375 yards on the ground.  Those impressive numbers are second only to Brenden Kavey's record-setting totals of 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns set in 2005.

Fuller is ranked sixth in all of Division III in rushing with 137.5 yards per game, and is tied for fifth in scoring with 11.4 points per game.  He tied the BSC single-game record for touchdowns with five in the Bears' 40-14 rout of divisional champion Maine Maritime Academy back in September.  He also rushed for a career-high 235 yards in that game.

The 2009 BSC football team, under the guidance of Head Coach Chuck Denune, posted a record of 7-3 with a 5-2 mark in New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division play.

Both Smith and Fuller were each voted on to the NEFC All-Bogan Division Team by the divisional head coaches.  Smith garnered first team honors for the second straight season and was also selected as the Bogan Division Offensive Lineman of the Year.  Fuller was named to the All-Bogan Division Second Team.