Penn wide receiver Justin Watson (University of Pennsylvania photo by Don Felice)

Penn wide receiver Justin Watson is a finalist for the Asa S. Bushnell Cup which honors the Players of the Year in the Ivy League. Princeton’s John Lovett is the other finalist for the offensive award while Lovett;s teammate Kurt Holuba and Dartmouth’ s Folarin Orimolade are the finalist for the defensive recognition.

Penn’s Tyler Drake, a linebacker, took home the Defensive Player of the Year last season, he was the ninth Quaker to win the award which from its inception in 1970 through 2010 was awarded to one player each year unless there was a tie. Starting in 2011, the cup has been handed out to a player or players on each side of the ball. The league’s coaches vote and the winners are the players who display outstanding qualities of leadership, competitive spirit, contribution to the team and accomplishments on the field. Harvard players have accepted the cup 11 times which is the most while Yale and Princeton join Penn in second with nine previous winners.

Notable past winners include Cornell’s Ed Marinaro, who shared the first one in 1970 then won it again in1971. Carl Morris, of Harvard, is the only other two-time winner (2001,2002). Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett won it in 1988 while playing quarterback at Princeton. The next year, his brother Judd won it as a running back for the Tigers, he was then selected in the 12th round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Another former Eagle, quarterback Jay Fiedler, won in 1992 for Dartmouth. A dozen years later, current Jets signal caller Ryan Fitzpatrick captured the honor while at Harvard. In 1996, Cheltenham High School grad Chad Levitt joined Marinaro as Cornell running backs to be selected. Jim Finn, Gavin Hoffman, Mike Mitchell and Tim Chambers are some of the other Quakers who were awarded the cup.

Watson led the Ivy in receptions (89), receiving yards (1,115) and touchdowns (8) it’s the second year in a row the junior led the Ancient Eight in those categories. Additionally, he topped the league with 1,248 all-purpose yards while helping the Quakers to a share on the Ivy League title.

“I cannot think of a more deserving person to be a finalist for an Offensive Player of the Year award than Justin Watson,” said Penn head coach Ray Priore. “He is the example for our program – he has high expectations for himself and he works harder than anyone to achieve them. Last year, he burst onto the scene and this season he elevated his play to an even higher level in a record-breaking year. To consistently put up the numbers he did with opponents spending so much of their game plan trying to specifically contain him is exceptionally impressive. We as a program are tremendously proud of – and happy for – Justin.”

Listed as a quarterback, Lovett did a little bit of everything for the co-champion Tigers. He ran for 411 yards and 20 touchdowns. He completed 51 passes for 582 yards and 10 touchdowns and caught 26 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown.

His teammate, Holuba, a defensive tackle was part of the top scoring, total and rushing defense in the league. He had eight sacks and 34 tackles for the fifth-best rushing defense and 15th ranked total defense in the country.

“I am thrilled that both John and Kurt were respected enough around the Ivy League to be voted as finalists for the Bushnell Cup,” said Ivy League Head Coach of the Year Bob Surace. “They both had incredible years, and they played major roles in leading us to the Ivy League championship. Their performances on the field speak for themselves, but they are also invaluable leaders both in the locker room, and on the practice field. I’m very happy that they are up for the Bushnell Cup, and I’m also excited to know they will be back in Orange and Black next year.”

Orimolade, a senior linebacker, led the nation with five forced fumbles, had an Ivy League-best nine sacks. He recorded 83 total tackles and was second in the Ivy with 14.5 tackles for a loss. He’s a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award which goes to the top defensive player at the FCS level.

The winners will be announced on Monday, December 5 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York and the ceremony will air on the Ivy League Digital Network live beginning at 12:30 p.m.