Football - BlueHens.com - Delaware Athletics

#30
ANDREW PIERCE

Year: Sophomore
Position: Running Back
Height /Weight: 5-11 / 200
Hometown: Bridgeton, N.J.
High School: Cumberland Regional HS
Major: Fitness Management

• 2011 Delaware Season Statistics

At Delaware: Sophomore who is one of the nation’s top running backs and thrives in Delaware’s single-back offense…former walk-on who is an All-American candidate and a strong candidate for The Sports Network’s Walter Payton Award which goes to the nation’s top offensive players…recognized by virtually every pre-season publication as one of the top players in the nation at the FCS level…earned pre-season second team All-American honors by The Sports Network and Consensus Draft Services and third team All-American by Phil Steele College Football Preview…selected by CAA head coaches and media members as the pre-season CAA Offensive Player of the Year, sharing the honor with William & Mary senior running back Jonathan Grimes…also picked first team All-CAA pre-season by Phil Steele…rated as one of the top nine running backs in the nation in a pre-season TSN poll…should only become better as he gains more experience...outstanding athlete who is a hard-nosed runner who runs through contact...difficult to bring down on first contact...patient runner who has ability to create space for himself...also effective at catching the ball out of the backfield and could see more action on the flank in UD spread offense...runs downhill through defenders...has breakaway speed…enters second collegiate season needing just 355 yards rushing to become only the 14th player in school history to reach the 2,000-yard mark and the only to do so as a sophomore…should he put together a season similar to 2010, could become just the fourth Blue Hen to crack the 3,000-yard mark in school history.

2010 Season: Enjoyed the finest season for a freshman running back in the history of Delaware football and one of the best by any player in Blue Hen history…walk-on who earned the starting job late in pre-season practice and was a star from the outset…started all 15 games at running back and led the team in rushing as a true freshman as he gained a UD freshman record 1,655 yards on 329 carries (5.0 avg.) with 14 touchdowns...also caught 32 passes for 199 yards (6.2 avg.) and three touchdowns to rank No. 5 on the team…led all NCAA FCS freshmen, led the CAA, and ranked No. 15 in the nation in rushing with 110.3 yards per game...posted the second highest single-season rushing yardage total at UD and most since All-American Omar Cuff rushed for 1,945 in 2007...rushed for 100 yards or more in seven of his 15 games...was outstanding in the post-season, rushing 95 times for 506 yards and two touchdowns in four games, averaging 126.5 yards rushing per game…closed the year with a 186-yard effort in NCAA semifinal win over Georgia Southern and a 142-yard effort with one touchdown in national title game against Eastern Washington…carried 13 times for 119 yards and a touchdown in first collegiate action vs. West Chester...rushed 26 times for 165 yards and a touchdown vs. South Dakota State...had career-high 200 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns against Duquesne...became first UD freshman and just the sixth player all-time to rush for over 200 yards in a game…became first UD freshman to rush for over 100 yards in each of his first four games…reached 1,000 yards rushing in a season (nine games) and career faster than any player in UD history…had season-high three touchdowns on 26 carries with 114 yards vs. Richmond...ran 26 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns vs. Rhode Island...rushed 16 times for 79 yards and two scores vs. Towson...had two catches for 26 yards and a score vs. Maine...had one catch for 31 yards and a touchdown against Massachusetts...had four catches for 18 yards and a score vs. Villanova with his one-yard touchdown catch with 18 seconds left sending the game into overtime...caught four passes for 18 yards vs. Eastern Washington...led the team with 1,854 all purpose yards (No. 39 in NCAA and second among freshmen)…ranked No. 2 in the CAA and No. 40 in the NCAA (fifth among freshmen) in scoring with 6.8 points per game...became one of the most decorated players in school history…third team The Sports Network All-American and one of just two freshmen nationally to be named to the team...Phil Steele College Football National Freshman of the Year...College Sporting News All-American...ECAC All-East Freshman of the Year...Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Rookie of the Year and first team All-CAA...earned CAA Offensive Player of the Week vs. Duquesne...selected CAA Rookie of the Week six times, including three straight weeks to open the season (West Chester, South Dakota State, Duquesne, Maine, Rhode Island, Towson)...selected as Blue Hen Touchdown Club Offensive Player of the Week three times (South Dakota State, Duquesne, Georgia Southern)...named National 5 & 10 Best of the Blue Hens Athlete of the Week vs. South Dakota State (Sept. 13)...selected as the New Jersey Sportswriters Association College Running Back of the Year...team went 12-3 and advanced to the FCS national title game under head coach K.C. Keeler.

High School: Standout running back at Cumberland Regional High School for head coach Tom Lake…one of the top running backs in South Jersey…led team to back-to-back playoff appearances…2007 berth was the school’s first in school history…set single-season school records with 1,640 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2009…Cumberland Regional’s all-time leading rusher with 4,537 yards…selected to the All-Group III, All-Conference, All-Press and second team All-South Jersey…named Touchdown Club of South Jersey’s Running Back of the Year…awarded the Maxwell Club Mini Max Award…doubled as a standout track & field athlete…won sectional titles in the javelin…finished fifth at the Penn Relays…holds school record with toss of 191-5…named to All-South Jersey track & field team.

Personal: Andrew Michael Pierce…fitness management major at Delaware...son of Steven and Wanda Pierce…born March 6, 1991…has an older brother…enjoys fishing and camping in spare time…has pre-game ritual of watching highlights of great runs by late NFL Hall of Famer Walter Payton.

Career Offensive Statistics at Delaware