Quiteh, a 5-10, 197 pound red-shirt freshman, came into the season third on the team’s depth chart (fourth after the spring game) but due to injury and other circumstances took over the starting role a week before the start of the season. He leads all of Division II in rushing yards per game with 156.9 yards per game, while his single total of 1,883 yards (second most in all of college football this season) is third best in school history behind former Harlon Hill finalist Jamar Brittingham (2,260 yards) and former Harlon Hill winner Irv Sigler (2,038). He needs just 117 yards to become just the third freshman in D-II history to top 2,000 yard rushing in a season. On the season he has scored 21 touchdowns and ranks fifth in D-II with 10.67 points per game. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in 11 of 12 games this season with three games of 200 or more yards.
Quiteh was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Year and first team All-PSAC East and was named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week four times during the year. He gained a career-high 246 yards against East Stroudsburg; picked up 223 against Millersville and 218 versus Clarion. In his collegiate debut he ran for 140 yards against Ashland University. In the game to decide the PSAC East championship against Super Region One top seed Kutztown, Quiteh carried the ball 22 times for 194 yards (8.8 yards per carry) and scored four TD’s to lead Bloomsburg to a 61-35 win. In the Huskies NCAA D-II opening round playoff game against Cal, Quiteh rushed for 141 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Huskies 28-26 win. He scored what proved to be the winning score on a 38-yard run in the fourth period.
Bloomsburg is 10-2 on the season and will face Mercyhurst in the Super One Regional semi-finals. The Huskies have won at least seven games in a season for the 12th straight year and had at least an eight-game winning streak for the third straight season and fifth time in the last six years.
Joining Quiteh as national finalists are quarterback Zach Amedro of West Liberty; quarterback Blake Bolles of Northwest Missouri State; quarterback Bo Cordell of Tusculum; quarterback Eric Czerniewski of Central Missouri; quarterback Mitchell Gale of Abilene Christian; quarterback Clay Garcia of the Colorado-Mines; quarterback Nick Hardesty of Henderson State and running back Phil Milbrath of Michigan Tech.
Quiteh is also looking to become the first freshman to ever win the Harlon Hill Award and be the first freshman to make the top three since 1986 (the only time it has been done).
The winner of the 2010 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the 25th annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet on Friday, December 17 at the Florence Conference Center at 6:30 p.m. This year’s Hill Trophy Banquet will also include the 12th induction into the Division II Football Hall of Fame, with Ken Sparks, Mel Tjeerdsma and Bobby Wallace becoming the first coaches to be inducted.
Tickets are $50 each or $400 for a table of eight and can be purchased by calling the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at (256) 764-4661.
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