The FCS football season has passed the halfway mark and it's time to start debating who is on the short list for yearly FCS awards. Who has stood out as a leader for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the most outstanding defensive player in FCS?
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Before we take a look at some of the top candidates, here's a quick word on Hall-of-Fame defensive tackle Buck Buchanan:
Buck Buchanan was one of greatest defensive tackles of all time. After being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1963 AFL Draft by Kansas City, he helped lead the Chiefs to a 23-7 win over the Vikings in SuperBowl IV.
Buchanan, who played at Grambling in Louisiana, was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the 1990s.
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Now, here's a look at the top four players who have stood out as potential Buck Buchanan Award winners, as well as a spotlight performance on a player who is making some noise:
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4. DE Ahmad Gooden, Samford
Gooden has helped anchor a defensive front that’s pushed Samford firmly into the playoff discussion, registering 34 solo tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss. At 1.6 TFL/game, he ranks inside the top 20 in FCS.
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3. DE Darius Jackson, Jacksonville State
Four of the last five Buck Buchanan award winners have been defensive ends. If that trend holds up, Jacksonville State’s Darius Jackson stands a great chance to take home serious hardware in December. Jackson doesn’t have some of the tackle numbers that other candidates do, coming in at only 40 total takedowns. However, his 15.5 tackles for loss — four of which were sacks — ranks first nationally, alongside Morgan State junior Malachi Washington.
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2. LB Darius Leonard, South Carolina State
Leonard’s mega-balanced season stat line features two picks, two hurries, 3.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss. But Leonard has cut his teeth this season on massive tackle totals — he’s got 61 solo tackles and 95 total takedowns, both of which rank as top-5 marks in the FCS.
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1. LB Sione Teuhema, Southeastern Louisiana
The Lions are unlikely to sneak into the playoff field as a Southland team hovering above .500 with two games left to play. However, senior linebacker Sione Teuhema has absolutely tortured opposing backfields for Southeastern, racking up 46 solo tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss, including eight sacks. Teuhema, who also has a forced fumble, a pass breakup and five hurries, is a transfer from LSU who has fully come online this year after earning second-team All-Southland honors in 2016.
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Spotlight Performance of the Week:
George Odum, Central Arkansas
Stats: 16 tot tackles in 47-17 win vs McNeese State
Though he isn’t on the official Buchanan Watch List, Odum posted 16 tackles (including an eight-yard sack) in a Homecoming win over McNeese. He also earned this week’s Southland’s Defensive Player of the Week honor.
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NEXT: FCS Championship: Projecting the FCS Playoff Field After Week 9
