Photo by: Tommy Martino/UM Athletics
O’Connell set for Buchanan Award Banquet in Frisco
1/5/2022 5:09:00 PM | Football
Becoming a star linebacker for the Montana Grizzlies and a finalist for the Buchanan Award almost never happened for Patrick O'Connell.
Coming out of Glacier High School in Kalispell, the multi-sport athlete began his career at the University of Mary in North Dakota, where he could play both football and baseball while pursuing a degree.
But after his first semester in Bismarck the football bug bit, and bit hard, so he decided to hang up the baseball cleats, return to Western Montana, and pursue his dream of playing for the Griz as a walk-on.
"I said, you know what? I've worked hard my whole life, and I'm gonna keep working hard until I get what I want. So, I came to a winter condo session – in street clothes and everything – and I guess the rest is history. It worked out pretty well," said O'Connell.
Worked out well indeed.
On Friday, O'Connell will travel to the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet in Frisco, Texas, as one of the top three finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
There he'll find out if he is to become Montana's fourth all-time winner of "The Buck" and follow in the footsteps of Grizzly legends Kroy Biermann, Tyrone Holmes, and his former teammate Dante Olson, who won the Buchanan in the last full season of FCS football in 2019.
While winning remains to be seen, just finishing the season as one of the top three defenders in the nation is a tip of the cap to O'Connell for putting together one of the finest defensive performances in Montana history during the Grizzlies' run to the 2021 quarterfinals.
"It's really special and really humbling to know that all the hard work I put in is being recognized by other people. Being top three in the nation in anything is pretty special," said O'Connell ahead of his trip.
"It's really hard to explain, but it's just something that you dream about. I mean, there's not many words that can describe the feeling, but it just makes you want to keep pushing yourself harder and harder."
The junior got in on at least one sack in 11 of UM's 13 games last season for a Big Sky-best total of 14 and added 21.5 tackles for loss – both top-ten marks in the nation – in addition to 105 total tackles.
More than stats on a page, however, O'Connell was a primary catalyst on one of the best defensive units to ever take the field for Montana.
As a group, coordinator Kent Baer's defense finished top-five in the nation in rush defense, team sacks and team TFLs. They also finished top-ten in red zone defense, scoring defense, and had the most defensive touchdowns in the FCS with six.
O'Connell will be the first to give credit for his individual success to his coaches and teammates, however, following a season where the Griz-D held Washington, MSU, and two other opponents to a single touchdown and kept two other teams out of the end zone altogether.
"There was a lot of guys that completely bought in to our defense this year and completely bought into the way that we play football. You saw the way we bonded out on the field, but you especially saw it in practices, the weight room, and in the film room. I mean, guys were spending countless hours getting better each week, and you saw that every Saturday," he added.
"But I think the biggest thing is the unity that we built, especially as a team and as a defense. Everyone just knew they could rely on the guy to their left or right. That's what made it so special."
But Baer, who has coached defense at the highest levels of college football, has seen O'Connell transform from a walk-on with an unknown future to a linebacker worthy of the highest individual honor in the land.
"I think he deserves it," said Baer.
"I've watched a lot of teams, a lot of defenses, and a lot of players. He's one of the best athletes on our football team, if not the best. He's very smart. He's improved his game tremendously from when he first started here. He's become much more physical, uses his hands well, and runs as well as anybody."
It's not every day that a defender racks up nationally-ranked stats in the three categories O'Connell has, either. If you're a gifted pass rusher, you get sacks and TFLs. If you're a ball-hawk, you get tackles. So, for Baer, O'Connell's ability to pile up the numbers in each category is a big part of what makes him special.
"He's the best pass rusher we have on the football team," Baer added.
"At times he's away from where people are attacking, and we'll move him around and try to use his ability that way. When he's off edge he's really good, but we ask him to pass rush right over a guard sometimes too. That tells you how good he really is."
THE DETAILS: The 2021 Stats Perform FCS Awards banquet gets underway at 5:30 p.m. Central Time with a reception at the Embassy Suites hotel in Frisco and dinner and the awards presentation to follow at 6:30.
Stats Perform will broadcast the event the following day on Bally Sports Regional Networks (more info below).
Highlighting the annual event are the announcements of the Walter Payton and Buck Buchanan awards for the 2021 national offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively. Also presented are the Jerry Rice Award for the national freshman of the year, Eddie Robinson Award for national coach of the year, and Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.
Finalists for the Peyton Award include quarterbacks Eric Barriere of Eastern Washington and Cole Kelley of Southeastern Louisiana and ETSU running back Quay Holmes.
O'Connell, Troy Anderson of Montana State, and linebacker Isaiah Land of Florida A&M are up for the Buchanan Award, which is in its 27th season. Montana cornerback Justin Ford narrowly missed out on a trip to Frisco, finishing fourth in the voting.
The winners of the three other awards were announced previously – Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders earned the Rice Award, his father and Jackson State coach Deion Sanders won the Eddie Robinson Award, and Southern Illinois offensive lineman ZeVeyon Furcron received the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.
WHERE TO WATCH: Stats Perform will broadcast the banquet on a tape-delay basis starting Saturday, Jan. 8, on Bally Sports Regional Networks around the country (broadcast schedule listed below). Former Northwestern State All-American and two-time Super Bowl-winning linebacker Gary Reasons will serve as the host of the broadcast. There will be over 250 airings over Bally regional and affiliate networks.
Stats Perform will not provide a live stream of the event, but an archived version of the broadcast will be available online in the days following the event.
Montana football will provide live coverage of the event via Twitter @MontanaGrizFB with a recap at GoGriz.com/football.
FCS National Awards – Bally Sports Initial Air Dates
While all networks will have multiple airings, please consult local listings for respective network territories. The initial airing time below is local time.
· Bally Sports Arizona (BSAZ): Saturday, Jan. 8 (5 p.m.)
· Bally Sports Detroit (BSDET): Saturday, Jan. 8 (11 p.m.)
· Bally Sports Florida (BSFL): Saturday, Jan. 8 (11 p.m.)
· Bally Sports Midwest (BSMW): Saturday, Jan. 8 (5:30 p.m.)
· Bally Sports North (BSN): Sunday, Jan. 9 (noon)
· Bally Sports Ohio (BSOH): Saturday, Jan. 8 (5 p.m.)
· Bally Sports SoCal (BSSC): Saturday, Jan. 8 (8 p.m.
· Bally Sports San Diego (BSSD): Saturday, Jan. 8 (2 p.m.)
· Bally Sports South (BSSO): Saturday, Jan. 8 (9 p.m.)
· Bally Sports Southwest (BSSW): Saturday, Jan. 8 (6 p.m.
· Bally Sports Sun (BSSUN): Saturday, Jan. 8 (11 p.m.)
· Bally Sports West (BSW): Saturday, Jan. 8 (8 p.m.)
· Bally Sports Wisconsin (BSWI): Saturday, Jan. 8 (4 p.m.)
· Mid-Atlantic Sports Network 2: Saturday, Jan. 8 (5 p.m.)
· MSG Network Plus: Saturday, Jan. 8 (5 p.m.)
· Marquee Sports Network: Monday, Jan. 10 (2 p.m.)
Coming out of Glacier High School in Kalispell, the multi-sport athlete began his career at the University of Mary in North Dakota, where he could play both football and baseball while pursuing a degree.
But after his first semester in Bismarck the football bug bit, and bit hard, so he decided to hang up the baseball cleats, return to Western Montana, and pursue his dream of playing for the Griz as a walk-on.
"I said, you know what? I've worked hard my whole life, and I'm gonna keep working hard until I get what I want. So, I came to a winter condo session – in street clothes and everything – and I guess the rest is history. It worked out pretty well," said O'Connell.
Worked out well indeed.
On Friday, O'Connell will travel to the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet in Frisco, Texas, as one of the top three finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
There he'll find out if he is to become Montana's fourth all-time winner of "The Buck" and follow in the footsteps of Grizzly legends Kroy Biermann, Tyrone Holmes, and his former teammate Dante Olson, who won the Buchanan in the last full season of FCS football in 2019.
While winning remains to be seen, just finishing the season as one of the top three defenders in the nation is a tip of the cap to O'Connell for putting together one of the finest defensive performances in Montana history during the Grizzlies' run to the 2021 quarterfinals.
"It's really special and really humbling to know that all the hard work I put in is being recognized by other people. Being top three in the nation in anything is pretty special," said O'Connell ahead of his trip.
"It's really hard to explain, but it's just something that you dream about. I mean, there's not many words that can describe the feeling, but it just makes you want to keep pushing yourself harder and harder."
The junior got in on at least one sack in 11 of UM's 13 games last season for a Big Sky-best total of 14 and added 21.5 tackles for loss – both top-ten marks in the nation – in addition to 105 total tackles.
More than stats on a page, however, O'Connell was a primary catalyst on one of the best defensive units to ever take the field for Montana.
As a group, coordinator Kent Baer's defense finished top-five in the nation in rush defense, team sacks and team TFLs. They also finished top-ten in red zone defense, scoring defense, and had the most defensive touchdowns in the FCS with six.
O'Connell will be the first to give credit for his individual success to his coaches and teammates, however, following a season where the Griz-D held Washington, MSU, and two other opponents to a single touchdown and kept two other teams out of the end zone altogether.
"There was a lot of guys that completely bought in to our defense this year and completely bought into the way that we play football. You saw the way we bonded out on the field, but you especially saw it in practices, the weight room, and in the film room. I mean, guys were spending countless hours getting better each week, and you saw that every Saturday," he added.
"But I think the biggest thing is the unity that we built, especially as a team and as a defense. Everyone just knew they could rely on the guy to their left or right. That's what made it so special."
But Baer, who has coached defense at the highest levels of college football, has seen O'Connell transform from a walk-on with an unknown future to a linebacker worthy of the highest individual honor in the land.
"I think he deserves it," said Baer.
"I've watched a lot of teams, a lot of defenses, and a lot of players. He's one of the best athletes on our football team, if not the best. He's very smart. He's improved his game tremendously from when he first started here. He's become much more physical, uses his hands well, and runs as well as anybody."
It's not every day that a defender racks up nationally-ranked stats in the three categories O'Connell has, either. If you're a gifted pass rusher, you get sacks and TFLs. If you're a ball-hawk, you get tackles. So, for Baer, O'Connell's ability to pile up the numbers in each category is a big part of what makes him special.
"He's the best pass rusher we have on the football team," Baer added.
"At times he's away from where people are attacking, and we'll move him around and try to use his ability that way. When he's off edge he's really good, but we ask him to pass rush right over a guard sometimes too. That tells you how good he really is."
THE DETAILS: The 2021 Stats Perform FCS Awards banquet gets underway at 5:30 p.m. Central Time with a reception at the Embassy Suites hotel in Frisco and dinner and the awards presentation to follow at 6:30.
Stats Perform will broadcast the event the following day on Bally Sports Regional Networks (more info below).
Highlighting the annual event are the announcements of the Walter Payton and Buck Buchanan awards for the 2021 national offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively. Also presented are the Jerry Rice Award for the national freshman of the year, Eddie Robinson Award for national coach of the year, and Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.
Finalists for the Peyton Award include quarterbacks Eric Barriere of Eastern Washington and Cole Kelley of Southeastern Louisiana and ETSU running back Quay Holmes.
O'Connell, Troy Anderson of Montana State, and linebacker Isaiah Land of Florida A&M are up for the Buchanan Award, which is in its 27th season. Montana cornerback Justin Ford narrowly missed out on a trip to Frisco, finishing fourth in the voting.
The winners of the three other awards were announced previously – Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders earned the Rice Award, his father and Jackson State coach Deion Sanders won the Eddie Robinson Award, and Southern Illinois offensive lineman ZeVeyon Furcron received the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.
WHERE TO WATCH: Stats Perform will broadcast the banquet on a tape-delay basis starting Saturday, Jan. 8, on Bally Sports Regional Networks around the country (broadcast schedule listed below). Former Northwestern State All-American and two-time Super Bowl-winning linebacker Gary Reasons will serve as the host of the broadcast. There will be over 250 airings over Bally regional and affiliate networks.
Stats Perform will not provide a live stream of the event, but an archived version of the broadcast will be available online in the days following the event.
Montana football will provide live coverage of the event via Twitter @MontanaGrizFB with a recap at GoGriz.com/football.
FCS National Awards – Bally Sports Initial Air Dates
While all networks will have multiple airings, please consult local listings for respective network territories. The initial airing time below is local time.
· Bally Sports Arizona (BSAZ): Saturday, Jan. 8 (5 p.m.)
· Bally Sports Detroit (BSDET): Saturday, Jan. 8 (11 p.m.)
· Bally Sports Florida (BSFL): Saturday, Jan. 8 (11 p.m.)
· Bally Sports Midwest (BSMW): Saturday, Jan. 8 (5:30 p.m.)
· Bally Sports North (BSN): Sunday, Jan. 9 (noon)
· Bally Sports Ohio (BSOH): Saturday, Jan. 8 (5 p.m.)
· Bally Sports SoCal (BSSC): Saturday, Jan. 8 (8 p.m.
· Bally Sports San Diego (BSSD): Saturday, Jan. 8 (2 p.m.)
· Bally Sports South (BSSO): Saturday, Jan. 8 (9 p.m.)
· Bally Sports Southwest (BSSW): Saturday, Jan. 8 (6 p.m.
· Bally Sports Sun (BSSUN): Saturday, Jan. 8 (11 p.m.)
· Bally Sports West (BSW): Saturday, Jan. 8 (8 p.m.)
· Bally Sports Wisconsin (BSWI): Saturday, Jan. 8 (4 p.m.)
· Mid-Atlantic Sports Network 2: Saturday, Jan. 8 (5 p.m.)
· MSG Network Plus: Saturday, Jan. 8 (5 p.m.)
· Marquee Sports Network: Monday, Jan. 10 (2 p.m.)
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