 |
| Schraeder |
Schraeder, in his second season with the Blazers, earned the recognition after leading a Valdosta State offensive line that has blocked for one of the top offenses in the nation this year. The Wichita, Kan. native has graded out at 96.0 percent on the season and leads VSU with 56 knockdown blocks. Schraeder allowed only one quarterback hit and one sack on the year. He was recently rated as the 25th-best offensive tackle prospect in the upcoming NFL draft by CBSSports.com.
Offensively, Valdosta State is seventh nationally in scoring offense and 13th in total offense. The Blazer average 475.6 yards of total offense per game, including 214.5 rushing and 261.2 passing. The Blazers score 42.2 points per game and are on the verge of breaking six school offensive records, including three rushing marks.
VSU's current 214.5 yards per game average in rushing is 21.2 yards more per game than the school mark of 193.3 set in 2004 while the Blazers' 30 rushing touchdowns this season are just two shy of the school mark of 32, also set in 2004. Valdosta State has rushed for 2,359 total yards on the year, the third-highest total in school history, one yard shy of second-best all-time and just 347 behind the school mark of 2,706 set in 2004. Meanwhile, the Blazers' 464 points is the eight-highest total in school history and just 153 behind the mark of 617, while the 42.2 points per game ranks as the third-best average in school history. Finally, VSU's total offensive yardage of 5,232 yards is the ninth-best total in the school record books, 1,407 behind 2004's school record of 6,634.
Schraeder is joined on the final ballot of the award by Bloomsburg junior offensive lineman Brian Clarke, Winston-Salem State center Markus Lawrence, Carson-Newman senior center Kevin Day, Missouri Western State senior defensive end David Bass, Minnesota-Duluth senior offensive lineman Garth Heikkinen, West Texas A&M senior left tackle Manase Foketi and Colorado State-Pueblo senior right tackle Ryan Jensen.
Voting for the award, which is conducted among the nation's Sports Information Director's, will be held through Monday, December 10, with the winner being announced Monday, December 17. The winner of the award is guaranteed a roster position in either the East/West Shrine Game or the NFLPA All-Star Game, both of which are held on January 19.
The award is named for the late Gene Upshaw, who was an All-Pro lineman for the Oakland Raiders after serving as a standout offensive lineman for Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville). Upshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, his first year of eligibility, and served as the executive director of the NLF Players Associaton for 25 years after his playing days ended.
