Courtesy: Valley Football

South Dakota State University defensive end Danny Batten finished third in the balloting for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is awarded annually to the top defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
 
James Madison (Va.) defensive end received the award Thursday night at The Sports Network's Football Championship Subdivision Awards Banquet, in Chattanooga, Tenn., on the eve of the NCAA Division I Football Championship title game. Moats led the nation in tackles for loss, averaging 2.14 per game (23.5 total), and was fourth in the FCS in sacks (1.0 per game, 11 total). He also piled up 90 tackles and returned a fumble for a 68-yard touchdown.
 
Moats received 37 first-place votes and tallied 342 points. Eastern Washington linebacker J.C. Sherritt finished second with 232 points, including 17 first-place votes, while Batten received eight first-place votes en route to his third-place total of 183 points.
 
During the 2009 season, Batten led the Jackrabbits in both tackles for loss (17) and sacks (nine). The Missouri Valley Football Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Batten ranked second on the squad with 85 total tackles, while adding a forced fumble and pass breakup.
 
Besides being a finalist for the Buchanan Award, Batten was named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Associated Press All-America teams this week.
 
Also on Thursday, SIU coach Dale Lennon was fourth, and SDSU head coach John Stiegelemeier finished ninth in the voting for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the top FCS coach. Prairie View A&M's Henry Frazier III edged Stephen F. Austin's J.C. Harper by two points, 237-235, in a battle for the award between two coaches from the state of Texas.