University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Football Places 12 On All-Conference USA Teams
11/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
The 12 selections mark the most for Southern Miss since it had 15 selections in 2003. Ten Golden Eagles earned Conference USA honors last season. Southern Miss finished with the second most selections on the all-conference team, bested only by Houston, who had 13.
"I'm proud of these players and what they have accomplished this season," Southern Miss Head Football Coach Jeff Bower said. "These players are deserving of this honor because of their hard work and dedication to the program, on and off the field. It's good to see that the league's media recognizes everything these players mean to the league."
Junior offensive linemen George Batiste and Travis Cooley earned first team All-Conference USA honors. Chris Clark was named to the third team, marking his first all-conference selection.
This is the second-year that Batiste has been selected to the first team, and Cooley's second year on the all-conference team but initial appearance on the first team, as he was a second-team honoree last year. This is Clark's first year on the all-conference team. All three helped pave the way for Southern Miss' first 1,000-yard rusher since 2002. The Golden Eagles are the top rushing team in Conference USA, averaging 176.5 yards per game and No. 27 in the nation.
Batiste, a four-time "Hawg of the Week" has given up only one sack in the past two years, Cooley hasn't surrendered any sacks this season and was "Hawg of the Week' once and Clark has given up two sacks this season and was named the "Hawg of the Week" five times.
Freshman running back Damion Fletcher was named to the first team after setting the school and conference freshman rushing marks with 1,240 yards. He also has scored nine touchdowns and has rushed for 100 or more yards seven times this season, also a freshman record. He ran for a season-high 177 yards and scored three touchdowns against NC State, and had 150 or more yards the past two games against UAB and Marshall.
After being named to the third team as a freshman, tight end Shawn Nelson garnered second-team honors this season. He has a team-leading 34 catches for 440 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensive lineman Robert Henderson was named to the second team, marking his first all-conference honor. He is the team's third-leading tackler with 57 tackles, including 36 solo stops, and is tied for the team lead with 4.5 sacks and has 12 tackles for loss. He has forced a fumble, blocked a punt and broke up two passes.
Defensive lineman Martavius Prince was named to the third team, marking his first all-conference selection. He is the ninth-leading tackler on the team with 39 tackles, including 20 solo stops, two sacks and a team-leading 12.5 tackles for loss. He also has an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Linebacker Gerald McRath and defensive backs Caleb Hendrix and Brandon Sumrall were all named to the third team. McRath leads the Golden Eagle defense with 76 tackles, including 43 solo stops, two sacks, eight tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Hendrix leads Conference USA in passes defended with 11 pass breakups and four interceptions. Hendrix is the seventh-leading tackler on the team with 43 total tackles, including 36 solo tackles, two sacks, five tackles for loss and a team-leading four interceptions. Sumrall, a second-team selection last year, is the team's second-leading tackler with 71 tackles, including two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups and a team-leading three forced fumbles.
Senior kicker Darren McCaleb and redshirt senior Stephen Daigle were both named to the third team. McCaleb, the school's all-time field goals made, percentage and points leader, hit 14-of-21 field goals this season and all 36 extra point attempts, scoring 78 points to lead the team. He hit a career long of 50 yards against Southeastern Louisiana and hit as many as six in a row during the season. Daigle, a former walk-on, won the long snapping job for punts as a freshman in 2003 and then later that season started handling the field goal and extra point duties and has been doing all three for his four-year career. Since then, only two kicks have been blocked.
Fletcher, McRath and Eddie Hicks were named to the All-Freshman team. Hicks played in all 12 games and started two games. He has 26 total tackles, including 18 solo tackles, two tackles for loss, and one interception that he returned for a school-record 87 yards for a touchdown against East Carolina.
Southern Miss finished the 2006 regular season with an 8-4 record and 6-2 mark in Conference USA, while winning the East Division for the first time. The overall record this season marks the 13th consecutive winning season in school history, one of four teams to claim this feat, Florida, Michigan and Virginia Tech.
Southern Miss faces Houston in the 2006 Conference USA Championship Game hosted by Aeropostale at Robertson Stadium in Houston on Friday night at 7 p.m., CT. The game will be televised by ESPN2.
For tickets to the championship game, please call the Southern Miss Ticket Office at 1-800-844-TICK or by logging on to SouthernMiss.com
