Georgia Southern sophomore Brent Russell’s play as a nose tackle has placed him on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List. The Buchanan Award, presented by The Sports Network and sponsored by Fathead.com, features a 20-player Watch List to identify the top candidates for the Football Championship Subdivision’s (FCS) outstanding defensive player award.

Voting takes place after the end of the regular season and the award winner will be announced at the national awards banquet on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas — the night before the national championship game.

Through Georgia Southern’s first seven games, Russell, from Comer, has 28 tackles, including 7.5 for losses and 4.5 sacks. College Sporting News selected Russell as its FCS Freshman of the Year and he also earned Southern Conference first-team honors from the Sports Media Association and second-team honors from the league’s coaches in 2009.

Georgia Southern Athletics also has announced the cancellation of the Sept. 17, 2011 North Dakota State football game originally scheduled to be played in Fargo, N.D. The contest was added to the Eagles’ schedule to fill an opening created when East Tennessee State dropped its football program. Presbyterian College will replace North Dakota State in a game to be played at Paulson Stadium on Oct. 22 giving the Eagles six home games for the 2011 campaign.

Georgia Southern and Presbyterian College have played two times previously, last in 1984 at Clinton, S.C. The Eagles have won both games against the Blue Hose.