Aug. 30, 2007

AMHERST, Mass. - UMass junior quarterback Liam Coen and senior linebacker Jason Hatchell are among the top candidates for the most prestigious awards in Football Championship Subdivision in 2007. Coen is one of 16 candidates for the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the former I-AA level. Hatchell is one of 16 candidates for the Buck Buchanan Award as the nation's top defensive player.

Coen has been the consistent signal-caller's ability to avoid mistakes has been a major reason for the Minutemen's success in the past two years. Threw just seven interceptions in the regular season to lead UMass to the Atlantic 10 championship, going five weeks without an interception at one point. Coen ranks fifth among current FCS quarterbacks in career completion percentage at 64.5%, and is fourth in passing efficiency. The 6-2, 220-pound passer's 3,016 throwing yards were the second best single-season mark in school history and his 26 TD passes were the third-best ever. Became a starter as a redshirt freshman in the third week of the season, and has been a Minuteman fixture ever since. Passed for 401 yards against New Hampshire in 2005 and fired five TD passes against Towson last year to tie a school record.

2007 Walter Payton Award Watch List: Donald Chapman, Senior, Running Back, Tennessee-Martin; Liam Coen, Junior, Quarterback, Massachusetts; Omar Cuff, Senior, Running Back, Delaware; Herb Donaldson, Junior, Running Back, Western Illinois; Luke Drone, Senior, Quarterback, Illinois State; Jerome Felton, Senior, Fullback, Furman; Lex Hilliard, Senior, Running Back, Montana; Josh Johnson, Senior, Quarterback, San Diego; Mike McLeod, Junior, Running Back, Yale; Kevin Richardson, Senior, Running Back, Appalachian State; Eric Sanders, Senior, Quarterback, Northern Iowa; Ricky Santos, Senior, Quarterback, New Hampshire; Sean Schaefer, Junior, Quarterback, Towson; Jerome Simpson, Senior, Wide Receiver, Coastal Carolina; Alex Watson, Senior, Wide Receiver, Northern Arizona; Steven Whitehead, Senior, Kick Returner/Wide Receiver, McNeese State.

Hatchell has had more than 100 tackles in each of the last two seasons including 134 in 2006. He finished second in the conference in stops as he was named to the All-Conference first team.He was a Don Hansen Football Gazette Second-Team All-American and New England Football Writers All-Star Team. Southern New Jersey Touchdown Club Player of the Year. Won the Bill Knight MVP winner as the player of the game in the New Hampshire-UMass game on Nov. 4. Had 59 solo stops and 75 assists (8.93 per game). Fourth on team with 6.5 TFLs for 30 yards. 140 career assisted tackles ranks 10th all-time at UMass. 75 assisted tackles in 2006 ranks as seventh-best single-season in UMass history. Led or tied UMass in tackles in 16 of last 26 games. Has 10 career 10-tackle games, UMass 7-3 in those games.

2007 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List Kroy Biermann, Senior, Defensive End, Montana; Colin Disch, Senior, Linebacker, Albany; Mike Gallihugh, Senior, Linebacker, Colgate; Jarmaul George, Senior, Safety, Southern; Jason Hatchell, Senior, Linebacker, Massachusetts; Brian Johnson, Senior, Defensive End, Gardner-Webb; Kendall Langford, Senior, Defensive End, Hampton; Tony LeZotte, Senior, Safety, James Madison; Corey Lynch, Senior, Safety, Appalachian State; Joe Mays, Senior, Linebacker, North Dakota State; Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Senior, Cornerback, Tennessee State; Bryan Smith, Senior, Defensive End, McNeese State; Kye Stewart, Senior, Linebacker, Illinois State; James Terry, Senior, Linebacker, Youngstown State; Donald Thomas, Senior, Linebacker, Eastern Illinois; Bobby Williams, Senior, Safety, Bethune-Cookman.