VIDEO: Andy Hibbett Interview
VIDEO: Andy Hibbett Harlon Hill Highlights
FLORENCE, Ala. – Carson-Newman football running back Andy Hibbett (Corryton, Tenn.) has been named a national finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy – presented to the best football player in Division II.
Hibbett becomes the third Carson-Newman player to make it the award's final round. Quarterback Leonard Guyton was a finalists in 2002, while Tyrone Westmoreland was the first Harlon Hill finalists for C-N in 1997. Mars Hill running back Jonas Randolph is the only South Atlantic Conference player to win the award – doing so in 2011.
"I'm really excited about Andy," head coach Ken Sparks said. "He developed into such a really good football player because of his hard work. He's a great example of what happens to you when you do what's right. He's a great example of integrity. For him to be recognized for this great award, it's an inside out deal. He has such a good heart, that it couldn't help but to come out on the outside."
Hibbett produced a season for the ages for the Eagles. Hibbett set a school record by rushing for more than 100 yards in eight consecutive games. His 1,394 yards on the season are the eighth highest tally in school history. Hibbett secured his spot in the Eagle record books. With 37 career rushing touchdowns, he moved past Brandon Baker and Antwon Oliver and into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time rushing TD list.
"It goes to the credit of the coaches and offensive line," Hibbett said. It's not an individual, this a credit to our team."
He also winds up with 3,208 career rushing yards. That mark is also the eighth best in school history. Hibbett scored multiple touchdowns in seven games, including a pair of four-touchdown days. He is a two-time SAC offensive Player of the Week, three-time Bojangles Male Athlete of the Week and earned Tennessee Sportswriters Association Offensive Player of the Week honors once. Following the season, he earned first team All-SAC honors.
"My personal goal for myself this year was just to make second team All-SAC," Hibbett said. "It definitely went a lot better than I expected. I felt like I put more work in this year than I did any other year. So I definitely feel like it's paid off."
Hibbett ranked sixth in the nation in rushing yards per game and 10th in scoring. He had 18 TDs in his senior season – 16 on the ground and two through the air.
Hibbett led C-N in rushing in six games and produced four games where he rushed for at least 180 yards. With 30 carries and 221 yards against Tusculum, Hibbett had the 14th-best single game rushing yard tally in school history and its 32nd 200-yard rushing performance.
Throughout the season, Hibbett credited his line.
"They made it easy on me," Hibbett said. "They're giving it their all every single play. They're 300 pounds and moving us up and down the field quickly. A lot of it started up front with (All-America candidate) Robby (Ignagni), he and the rest of the lineman made certain I wasn't going to get touched until I was six, seven yards down the field. They let me just outrun people."
Against Mars Hill, the senior only had 191 yards and three TDs on seven carries. His 27.3 yards per rush is the second highest total among running backs with more than five carries in a game.
Hibbett's three touchdowns all came in the second half and helped put the game out of reach.
His first score came on a 58-yard dive, his second on a 65-yard scamper and his third on a 55-yard pitch that started to the right and finished with Hibbett meandering his way back left across the field to the pylon for a score.
The finalists were selected by the NCAA Division II sports information directors in regional voting and will now be placed on the national ballot where all 168 of the division's SIDs will select the award's 29th winner. The top two players from each of Division II's Super Regions advanced to the national ballot, with the exception of Super Region 4 where three players advanced due to a tie in the voting. The list of 2014 finalists is comprised of seven quarterbacks and two running backs.
National voting will conclude on December 13. The winner of the 2014 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced via webcast on Friday, December 19 and the winner will be honored at a luncheon on the University of North Alabama campus on January 9, 2015.
