Five Bears Named to D3football.com All-Region One Team

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Five members of the Bridgewater State University football squad have been selected to the 2021 D3football.com All-Region One Team.

Senior punter Thomas Fay, junior linebacker Brendan Albert and junior running back Adam Couch were named to the D3football.com All-Region One Second Team, while junior cornerback Jaren Alves and junior linebacker Steven Silvia garnered third team honors.

The D3football.com All-Region teams are selected in balloting by sports information directors in each region and D3football.com staff. All players nominated for All-Region are eligible to be considered for the D3football.com All-America Team. Players were nominated for these awards by the Sports Information Directors at the various schools. In total, 1,036 players were nominated from across the country.

Fay averaged a school single-season record 40.4 yards on 39 punts with seven inside the 20 and a long of 61. Six of his punts went for over 50 yards and he also converted 29 of 31 extra point attempts. The Raynham, Massachusetts native led all Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) special teams performers in punting average and ranked third overall in punting yards (1,574). Fay is currently tenth in all of Division III in punting average.

Albert tallied a team-best 110 tackles (70 solo) with 14 ½ for loss, four sacks, five forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles in ten games this season. The Canton, Massachusetts product also returned two fumbles for touchdowns.

Albert led the MASCAC in both tackles and forced fumbles. He also ranked second in solo tackles and tackles for loss, and tied for sixth in sacks. On the national stage, Albert is currently tied for the NCAA Division III lead in forced fumbles, ranks sixth nationally in solo tackles and is tied for 12th in total tackles.

A native of Winchendon, Massachusetts, Couch started each of the Bears first nine games this fall before suffering a season-ending injury. He carried the ball 167 times for 1,020 yards and 13 touchdowns as he became the ninth different running back in BSU football history to crack the 1,000-yard rushing barrier for a season.

Couch led the MASCAC in rushing yards, ranked second in rushing touchdowns and tied for third among the conference leaders in scoring with 78 points. He is also currently ranked 18th in all of NCAA Division III in rushing yards per game (113.3) and is tied for 31st in rushing touchdowns.

Alves recorded three interceptions, broke up 11 passes, recovered a fumble and notched 23 tackles (16 solo) in ten games. The East Providence, Rhode Island product ranked second in the conference in pass breakups and tied for fifth in interceptions. He is also tied for 18th among the NCAA Division III leaders in passes defended with 14.

Silvia, who hails from Dighton, Massachusetts, notched 104 tackles in ten games, including a team-high 72 solo stops, to go along with eight tackles for loss, two sacks, a pair of  interceptions, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles and one blocked kick. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown in the Bears’ Cranberry Bowl win over Mass. Maritime.

Silvia led the MASCAC in solo tackles and ranked second in both tackles and forced fumbles. He is currently tied for fourth in all of Division III in solo tackles, tied for 23rd in total tackles and tied for 27th in forced fumbles.

The BSU football team finished the 2021 campaign with an overall record of 6-4 including a 6-2 MASCAC mark. The Bears capped off the season with a 35-7 victory over Massachusetts Maritime Academy in the 42nd Annual Cranberry Bowl.

Fay, Albert, Couch, Alves and Silvia were among 11 Bears named to the All-MASCAC Team as they each garnered first team honors. Albert was also selected to the New England Football Writers Division II/III All-New England Team, while Albert, Couch and Silvia were chosen to the All-Noontime Division III New England Football Team.

2021 D3football.com All-Region One Team (PDF) | BSU All-Time D3football.com All-Region Honorees