Fall is in the air, football season is on its way and all eyes are on Zak DeOssie '07. For the second season in a row, the talented linebacker has been named to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch, putting him in the running for the honor given to the top defensive player in Division 1-AA.
The preseason list consists of 16 candidates for the Buck Buchanan Award, and DeOssie is the only one from the Ivy League. After a voting process in November, three finalists will be invited to attend the 20th annual I-AA College Football Awards in December, at which the winner will be announced. DeOssie was a finalist last year, and he said he is pleased to be on the list of candidates again this season.
"I'm excited. It's certainly an honor," DeOssie said. "But it doesn't change my style of play."
That should come as no surprise when one considers how successful the senior tri-captain has been so far. Last season, DeOssie was named first team All-Ivy and All-New England for the second straight year. He also earned a third team Associated Press All-American honor.
Adding to his long list of achievements last season, DeOssie was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week for a remarkable performance against Cornell. In that game, he recorded 18 tackles, a career high. He also led the Bears with 80 total tackles, including 12 for a loss, five quarterback sacks, one interception, one blocked kick and three forced fumbles. Nationally, he was ranked in the top 10 for total tackles, solo tackles, tackles for a loss and forced fumbles until a knee injury forced him to miss the last two games of the season.
"It was incredibly hard," DeOssie said of the injury. "I've been playing on the team since my freshman year, and I wanted to be on the field, especially during the championship season. It was terribly difficult."
But DeOssie, who finished recovering in January, conceded that "injuries are part of football." Regarding this season, he said, "It's not even an issue. I'm in peak physical shape."
Being in top form will be particularly important when the Bears open Ivy League play against Harvard on Sept. 23. Last season, the Bears lost their Ivy opener to Harvard in double overtime, but this year they hope things will be different. "We want to start off right," DeOssie said. "We have to take this season by the horns."
As last season's Ivy League champions, the Bears know they are capable of winning and are eager to defend their Ivy title. According to DeOssie, "We might have a label now ... but anyone can take away the title. We don't think of it as defending. We're not sitting on our heels. We're going to go after the title."
Though DeOssie is careful to distinguish between defending and attacking, he acknowledges that winning the championship last season gives the Bears an edge.
"We know what it takes to win the title," he said.
