Tuesday, December 7, 2004
Written by Jason Varney

TUFTS DL CHRIS LAWRENCE NAMED TO ALL-REGION FOOTBALL TEAM

MEDFORD -- The 2004 Football Gazette NCAA Division III All-East Region Football Teams were announced on December 1, and Tufts senior Chris Lawrence (Falmouth, MA/Falmouth) was among the honorees.  Lawrence, a 6'2", 245-pound defensive lineman, was named to the Third Team Defense, the only Jumbo to be named to one of the teams.

A starter since his sophomore season, Lawrence played D-Line with all-stars Caleb Hudak and Matt Keller. Stepping into a leadership role this fall, Lawrence appeared in all of the Jumbos' eight games and added a great deal to a young Jumbo defense that improved week by week.  The senior quad-captain was second on the team in tackles with a total of 72 on the season, 31 of which were unassisted. His 9.0 tackles per game was tied for ninth in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), tops among linemen. Lawrence was no friend to opposing quarterbacks either, as he finished with three sacks causing a total loss of 25 yards, along with breaking up four pass attempts. He also had eight tackles for 37 yards in losses and recovered a fumble.

In one of his strongest performances, the senior had a total of 10 tackles, four of which were unassisted, in a 14-12 Homecoming victory over the Bates Bobcats on October 2.  In another impressive performance, Lawrence had eight tackles (six unassisted) and 1.5 sacks in Tufts' season finale against Middlebury, a close 10-6 loss on November 13. Lawrence was also selected to the All-NESCAC First Team and to the New England Football Writers' all-star team.

The Jumbos, coached by Bill Samko, ended the season with a 2-6 record in a strong conference.  The two Jumbo wins were certainly highlights of the season, as their first win was on Homecoming weekend against Bates College.  Their other victory came against an undefeated Amherst College team, when the Jumbo defense shut down a terrific Amherst offense.  Tufts held the opposition to only three points, going on to win the October 30 match-up 10-3. Lawrence had a 10-yard sack in the game.

Tufts was fifth in NESCAC allowing 17.4 points per game overall and fifth in total defense with 290.8 yards allowed per game.  They were strongest against the run, allowing 111.1 yards per game.

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