Benson Earns Don Hansen All-American
Findlay, Ohio - The Don Hansen Football Committee has released their selections for the 2018 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America Team.
Sophomore running back Brian Benson was the lone member of the Oilers on the list and earned a spot on the honorable-mention squad. Benson was a first team all-G-MAC selection this season after winning the starting job in a backfield loaded with talent. From wire to wire Benson boasted the top rushing numbers in the conference and capped his season with a three-game stretch that any tailback in the country would love to have. In those final three games, Benson averaged 205 yards and more than three touchdowns per game.
For the season, Benson rushed 130 times for 963 yards for an average of 107.0 yards per game. The Mansfield, Ohio native also found the end zone 16 times. Benson's total yards, yards per game, touchdowns, and yards per carry (7.4) were all tops in the league. At 7.4 yards per carry, Benson, who was named G-MAC Player of the Week on Nov. 5, broke the conference record for yards per carry in a season, surpassing the 2017 mark of Findlay graduate Daouda Sylla who rushed for 6.4 ypc last season.
This is the second consecutive season in which the Oilers have had a tailback earn a spot on the Don Hansen all-American squad after Daouda Sylla earned third team last year.