North Dakota State's Rob Hunt Named to Football Gazette NCAA I-AA All-America First Team
3/7/2005 8:00:00 AM | Football
WESTMONT, Illinois--North Dakota State University center Rob Hunt was named to the 2004 Football Gazette NCAA Division I-AA All-America first team, while five other Bison players were named to the 2004 Football Gazette's NCAA I-AA All-West Region team.
Hunt was the NCAA I-AA recipient of the Dave Rimington Award, which annually honors the outstanding NCAA I-A college football center and recently recognized four other outstanding centers throughout the ranks of college football. He joined Kevin Burton of Division II Southeastern Oklahoma State, Matt Bush of Division III Mary Hardin-Baylor (
Hunt, a 6-foot-3 1/4, 301-pounder from Cavalier, N.D., played in the 2005 Hula Bowl Maui All-Star Game on Jan. 22, in War Memorial Stadium. He turned in a solid showing at the National Football League scouting combine in Indianapolis, Ind.
NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt wrote, "Some coaches value how an offensive lineman runs the 40-yard dash while others focus more on other activities. It is worth noting that four linemen ran times of under 5.0 seconds. They are Nebraska's Richie Incognito, Washington's Khalif Barnes, Maryland's C.J. Brooks and North Dakota State's Rob Hunt, who ran under 5.0 twice. Not many folks from North Dakota State can do that. Hunt stood in at 6-foot-3 3/4 and weighed 301 pounds."
A four-year starter, Hunt was selected the 2004 Great West Football Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year by media, and named to the 2004 All-Great West Football Conference first team by coaches and media. Hunt was credited with a team-high 72 "pancake blocks" as a senior. The Bison rushed for 192.4 yards per game last season -- an increase of 33 yards per game over 2003, and averaged 378 yards of total offense.
Hunt completed the 2004 season with a string of 42 consecutive starts, despite wearing a cast on his snapping hand in 2003, and became the NDSU player since All-American center Mike Favor (1985-88) to start each game in their career. Hunt did not allow a sack and only one quarterback hit over the past two seasons.
Hunt was named to the All-West Region first team. Sophomore running back Kyle Steffes (Dickinson, N.D.), senior offensive tackle Nick Zilka (Bloomington, Minn.) and senior noseguard Isaac Snell (Pipestone, Minn.) were selected to the second team, while sophomore strong safety Craig Dahl (Mankato, Minn.) and senior cornerback Matt Gorman (Marshfield, Wis.) earned third team honors.
Bison halfback Kyle Steffes rushed for over 1,000 yards behind an offensive line that featured Hunt and Zilka. Steffes rushed 197 times for 1,055 yards and 13 touchdowns for an average of 95.9 yards per game. He had five 100-yard games during the season and has seven in his career.
Anchor of the defensive line, Snell turned in a solid senior season, recording 55 tackles including 11.5 tackles for loss. He had two sacks and also blocked a PAT attempt in the season opener against Valparaiso. Dahl was second on team with 82 tackles including four tackles for loss and one sack. He had five pass breakups, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Gorman intercepted a team-high five passes and broke up eight others. He was credited with 41 tackles including 32 solo stops. Gorman shut down Northern Colorado All-America wide receiver during the 2004 season. The NDSU defense allowed only 13.6 points per game, limiting opponents to 285 yards of total offense per game including 126.3 yards rushing.
BISON NOTEBOOK: Former North Dakota State players Leif Murphy and Mike Sheppard are playing for the Omaha Beef of the United Indoor Football league. The Beef open the 2005 season on March 19 against the Sioux Falls Storm at the Omaha Civic Auditorium ... Jerry Rosburg, a former NDSU linebacker from Fairmont, Minn., just signed a two-year extension as special teams coordinator with the Cleveland Browns. Rosburg, a 1978 graduate from NDSU, began his coaching career as an assistant at Fargo Shanley High School in 1979-80. He made stops at Northern Michigan, Western Michigan, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Boston College, Notre Dame before going to the Cleveland Browns organization in 2001.
