Football Gazette Release

PITTSBURG, KS - Senior linemen Dan Matha (Erie/McDowell) and Carl Thornton (Beaver Falls/Beaver Falls) headline a group of six IUP football players named to the 2012 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America Team, it was announced Friday.

Matha received second team honors at the offensive tackle position, while defensive tackle Thornton was named to the second team defense. Safety Johnny Franco (Altoona/Tyrone) earned a third team selection, while guard Nick Carnicella (Greensburg/Hempfield), linebacker Carl Fleming (Reisterstown, MD/Franklin), and running back Harvie Tuck (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) all received honorable mention.

Matha and Carnicella helped pave the way for Tuck and running mate De'Antwan Williams (Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge), leading a rushing attack that ranked 10th in Division II with 269 rushing yards per game. Matha was a Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year candidate and the top player for a unit that blocked for two 1,000 yard rushers in 2012, while Carnicella was also named second team All-Super Region One by Don Hansen.

Thornton, Fleming and Franco were cornerstones of the nation's top defense. The Crimson Hawks gave up just 257.9 yards and 12.5 points per game – both first in Division II - recording three shutouts and holding opponents to 10 points or fewer four additional times. Opponents averaged just 80 rushing yards per game (third in the nation), managing just 2.6 yards per carry.

Thornton was second on the team with 12.5 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks; Fleming had 88 tackles and was named MVP of the PSAC Championship Game; and Franco was a do-it-all safety who finished tied for ninth in the nation with six interceptions.

A senior running back, Tuck was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,688 yards and 16 touchdowns. Hampered by an injury over the last five games of the season, he finished 11th in the nation by averaging 127 yards per game. His, 4,341 career rushing yards is second all-time at IUP.

Under Head Coach Curt Cignetti the Crimson Hawks finished the year with a 12-2 overall record, advancing to the NCAA Division II Super Region One championship, falling to eventual national runner-up Winston-Salem State 21-17 in North Carolina. IUP was ranked seventh in the final AFCA Top 25 poll, its highest ranking since sitting in that same spot on November 4, 2003.

The Don Hansen Football Committee selected All-Super Region teams in December and early January, with the first-team and second-team All-Super Region players advancing to the national ballot.

A total of 175 players earned some form of Don Hansen All-America honors. Players from 83 of the 157 football-playing schools in Division II earned Don Hansen All-America accolades. National Champion Valdosta State and national semifinalist West Texas A&M led the way by placing eight players apiece on the All-America squad.