Texas Lutheran's James Bell, Manny Longoria nominated for Cliff Harris Award

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Texas Lutheran junior safety James Bell and senior defensive end Manny Longoria have been nominated for the Cliff Harris Award.

The Cliff Harris Award is presented to the nation's top small college defensive player. The award is given to the top defensive player from colleges and universities representing NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and the NAIA.

Bell, a three-year starter for the Bulldogs, is a three-time nominee for the Cliff Harris Award.

Longoria, also a three-year starter, is a Cliff Harris Award nominee for the first time.

The Cliff Harris Award is named for former Dallas Cowboys safety Cliff Harris, a two-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Super Bowl participant, six-time Pro Bowl selection, and four-time All-Pro.

Bell, TLU's starting free safety, has been named All-South Region by D3football.com in three consecutive seasons. He was a Second Team selection in 2017, a Third Team choice in 2018, and a First Team selection in 2019.

Longoria is a 2019 American Football Coaches Association Second Team All-American, and he is on the D3football.com All-South Region Team for a second straight year. Longoria was a Second Team All-Region selection in 2018.

In 2019, TLU produced an 8-2 overall record and 8-1 mark in the American Southwest Conference.

The Bulldogs were ranked in the Top 25 and in the regional rankings at times during the 2019 season, and TLU played for the conference championship on Nov. 9 at defending national champion Mary Hardin-Baylor.

TLU's eight wins in the ASC are the most by a Bulldog squad in the university's 18 seasons in the ASC (1998-2012, 2017-present).

The eight overall wins marked just the eighth time in TLU's 85 football seasons that the Bulldogs have won that many games in a single season.

The Bulldogs were picked fourth in the 2019 ASC Preseason Football Poll. TLU was picked behind UMHB, Hardin-Simmons, and East Texas Baptist.

TLU defeated ETBU on the road on Sept. 21 and then defeated then-No. 6 HSU on the road on Oct. 5. The win over HSU was the second win for TLU all-time at the Cowboys' Shelton Stadium.

The wins over ETBU and HSU were part of the Bulldogs' seven-game win streak entering the UMHB game.

Bell, a three-time All-ASC First Team selection, finished the year with 48 total tackles, a half-tackle for loss, and one interception (in the road win over Hardin-Simmons). Bell has started 28 career games for the Bulldogs and collected 156 total tackles and 11 interceptions.

Bell and the TLU defense combined with the TLU offense to produce a team turnover margin per game of plus-1.5. That turnover margin ranks sixth in NCAA Division III.

The TLU defense also ranks 12th nationally in defensive touchdowns, with four, and ranks 23rd in fumbles recovered, with 12.

Longoria, also a three-time All-ASC selection, leaves TLU as the program's DIII-era career leader for sacks and tackles for loss. He tallied 24.5 career sacks for 158 yards and 46.5 tackles for loss for 226 yards.

Longoria had four career forced fumbles and three career fumble recoveries. He took two of those fumble recoveries back for touchdowns, including a 39-yard recovery this year in the road win over then-No. 6 Hardin-Simmons.

In 2019, Longoria collected six sacks and 12 tackles for loss. He posted a single-season career-best 43 tackles this season and ended his four-year career with 119 total tackles.

The Bulldog defense this year ranked 24th in sacks, at 3.2 per contest, and 30th in team tackles for loss, at 8.0 per game.

Finalists for the Cliff Harris Award will be announced on Dec. 23 and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club's annual awards banquet on Jan. 9, 2020.

The winner will receive the $3,000 Cliff Harris Award trophy. The trophy will be presented by Cliff Harris and featured speaker Archie Griffin, the two-time Heisman Trophy award winner.