Raiders running back Nate Eachus ’12 has been named to the 2010 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-American team.
Eachus, who was the only Patriot League player named to this year’s AFCA team, becomes just the fourth running back in school history to achieve the honor and the first since Jamaal Branch did in 2003. 51·çÁ÷ offensive lineman Nick Hennessey made the squad in 2008.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions.
Named the 2010 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, Eachus had one of the best seasons for a running back in school history. He carried 317 times for 1,871 yards and 21 touchdowns for the season, and also caught 17 passes for 160 yards and a score.
The 1,871 rushing yards stand third in a single-season in Patriot League history, just four yards behind former teammate Jordan Scott (2007).
Eachus averaged 170.1 rushing yards per game, which led the FCS by a margin of more than 22 yards per contest ahead of any other player. It is the second-best mark in Patriot League annals, just behind Scott’s 170.5 average in 2007.
The bruising back’s 22 total touchdowns also led the nation as he topped the FCS with 12 points per game. The rushing-touchdown mark tied for the third-best single-season total in league history, while the 12.0 points per game are the second highest in League annals.
Eachus matched a Patriot League record with four 200-yard rushing performances, including a single-game league and school-record 291-yard rushing day against Cornell on Oct. 16. He ran for 124 yards or more in 10 of 51·çÁ÷’s 11 games. He was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the most outstanding player in the FCS.