How Shotwell stacks up

It remains to be seen if Cal Poly senior LB Kyle Shotwell can be the third Mustang to win the Buck Buchanan Award in as many years. The winner of the award for Division I-AA football's top defensive player will be named Dec. 14 on the eve of the championship game. Here's how Shotwell's numbers stack up against the two previous winners from Cal Poly, DE Chris Gocong (2005) and LB Jordan Beck (2004):

Kyle Shotwell Senior Season G TT Solo Sacks 11 122 62 7 Career Totals G TT Solo Sacks 46 392 201 17

Chris Gocong Senior Season G TT Solo Sacks 13 98 46 23.5 Career Totals G TT Solo Sacks 41 212 117 42

Jordan Beck Senior Season G TT Solo Sacks 11 135 97 4 Career Totals G TT Solo Sacks 43 449 270 16.5

G (games), TT (total tackles)

"When Beck left we weren't sure who was going to fill those shoes. When Gocong left, we didn't know who was going to fill those shoes. But people step up and Coach Ellerson knows how to recruit and plug people into the system. ... It's going to be exciting to see who the next player is on the Buchanan list."
– Kyle Shotwell after Saturday's 55-0 win over Savannah State.

So who's the next Mustang Buck Buchanan candidate? Offer your suggestion in the comments section below.

Shotwell said he like's rover Mark Restelli's chances.
"He's just got so much athletic ability," Shotwell said of the rover, who could move to mike linebacker. "He's just such a great football player and I can see him doing a great job at that (Mike linebacker) spot."