Football Places 10 On Coaches' All-Conference USA Teams
12/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 5, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss had 10 players selected on the 2006 Coaches' All-Conference USA football teams today, including four on the first team, two on the second team and four on the third. The Golden Eagles also had three All-Freshman selections.
The 10 selections marked the most for Southern Miss since it had 15 selections in 2003. Ten Golden Eagles earned Conference USA honors last season as well. Southern Miss finished with the third-most selections on the all-conference team, bested by Houston, who had 13 and Tulsa with 12.
"I'm proud of these players and what they have accomplished this season," Southern Miss Head Football Coach Jeff Bower said. "These players have put a lot of time and hard work into this season, both on and off the field, and they are deserving of any honor. We had a good season and the players and coaches are looking forward to playing in the GMAC Bowl on Jan. 7."
Junior offensive linemen George Batiste and Travis Cooley earned first team All-Conference USA honors on the coaches team after earning first-team honors on the media team last week. Chris Clark was named to the third team on both squads, 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 173.4 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" six times.
Freshman running back Damion Fletcher was named to the first team on both squads after setting the school and conference freshman rushing marks with 1,330 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 against UAB and Marshall.
After being named to the third team as a freshman and second team on the media team last week, tight end Shawn Nelson garnered first-team honors on the coaches team. He has a team-leading 36 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensive lineman Martavius Prince was named to the second team, after being named to the third team on the media team last week. He is the ninth-leading tackler on the team with 45 tackles, including 22 solo stops, two sacks and a team-leading 13.5 tackles for loss. He also has an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Defensive lineman Robert Henderson was named to the second team on the media team and third team on the coaches' squad. He is the team's third-leading tackler with 59 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 three passes.
Defensive backs Caleb Hendrix and Brandon Sumrall were named to the third team on the coaches and media teams. Hendrix leads Conference USA in passes defended with 11 pass breakups and four interceptions. Sumrall is the second-leading tackler for Southern Miss with 77 total tackles, including 51 solo stops, two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, a team-leading three tackles for loss, two interceptions and two pass breakups.
Senior kicker Darren McCaleb was named to the second team on the coaches' squad and third team on the media team. McCaleb, the school's all-time field goals made, percentage and points leader, hit 16-of-23 field goals this season and all 38 extra point attempts, scoring 86 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.
Fletcher, Gerald McRath and Eddie Hicks were named to the All-Freshman team. McRath led the defense with 91 total tackles, including 51 solo tackles, two sacks, eight tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Hicks played in all 13 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.
Sophomore Ryan McKee (OL), senior Matthew Chatelain (DE), McRath (LB), senior Jasper Faulk (DB and PR) and senior Stephen Daigle (LS) were named to the honorable-mention team.
Southern Miss enters the GMAC Bowl on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m., with an 8-5 overall record, a 6-2 Conference USA record and the C-USA East Division Championship. The Golden Eagles finished with their 13th-consecutive winning season in school history, one of four teams to claim this feat, along with Florida, Michigan and Virginia Tech.
Southern Miss faces Ohio University in the GMAC Bowl. The Bobcats are coached by former Nebraska Head Coach Frank Solich, who has turned the Ohio U. program from a losing program to a 9-4 overall and a 7-1 record in the Mid-American Conference and the East Division Championship.
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback - Kevin Kolb, Sr., Houston Running Back- Ahmad Bradshaw, Jr., Marshall Running Back- Damion Fletcher, Fr., Southern Miss Offensive Lineman- George Batiste, Sr., Southern Miss Offensive Lineman- Sterling Doty, Sr., Houston Offensive Lineman- Travis Cooley, Sr., Southern Miss Offensive Lineman- Doug Legursky, Jr., Marshall Offensive Lineman- Jeff Perrett, Sr., Tulsa Tight End- Shawn Nelson, So., Southern Miss Wide Receiver- Jarett Dillard, So., Rice Wide Receiver- Johnnie Lee Higgins, Sr., UTEP Wide Receiver- Mike Walker, Sr., UCF
DEFENSE Defensive Lineman- Robert Latu, Sr., Tulsa Defensive Lineman- Albert McClellan, So., Marshall Defensive Lineman- Larry McSwain, Sr., UAB Defensive Lineman- Justin Rogers, Sr., SMU Linebacker- Nick Bunting, Sr., Tulsa Linebacker- Troy Collavo, Sr., UTEP Linebacker - Wade Koehl, Sr., Houston Defensive Back- Bobby Blackshire, Sr., Tulsa Defensive Back- Quintin Demps, Jr., UTEP Defensive Back- Will Gulley, Sr., Houston Defensive Back- Curtis Keyes, Sr., Marshall
SPECIAL TEAMS Placekicker- Reagan Schneider, Sr., UTEP Punter- Michael Gibson, Sr., Memphis Kick Returner- Johnnie Lee Higgins, Sr., UTEP Punt Returner- Joe Burnett, So., UCF Long Snapper- Aaron King, Sr., UTEP
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback - Paul Smith, Jr., Tulsa Running Back- Anthony Alridge, Jr., Houston Running Back- Kevin Smith, So., UCF Offensive Lineman- Jeff Akeroyd, Jr., Houston Offensive Lineman- Aaron Dannenhauer, Sr., Tulsa Offensive Lineman- Eric Graham, Sr., East Carolina Offensive Lineman- Jon Hameister-Ries, Sr., Tulsa Offensive Lineman- Julius Wilson, Sr., UAB Tight End- Ryan Kennedy, Sr., SMU Wide Receiver- Aundrae Allison, Sr., East Carolina Wide Receiver- Vincent Marshall, Sr., Houston Wide Receiver- Idris Moss, Sr., Tulsa
DEFENSE Defensive Lineman- Courtney Gordon, Sr., Rice Defensive Lineman- Adrian Haywood, Sr., SMU Defensive Lineman- Marquay Love, Sr., Houston Defensive Lineman- Martavius Prince, Jr., Southern Miss Linebacker- Nelson Coleman, Jr., Tulsa Linebacker - Orlandus King, Sr., UAB Linebacker- Brian Raines, So., Rice Defensive Back- Willie Gaston, Sr., Houston Defensive Back- Nick Graham, Sr., Tulsa Defensive Back- Israel Route, Sr., Tulane Defensive Back- Joe Sturdivant, Sr., SMU
SPECIAL TEAMS Placekicker- Darren McCaleb, Sr., Southern Miss Punter- Chris Beckman, Sr., Tulane Kick Returner- Chris Johnson, Jr., East Carolina Punt Returner- Johnnie Lee Higgins, Sr., UTEP Long Snapper- Mike Buscemi, Sr., UCF
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback - Jordan Palmer, Sr., UTEP Running Back- Jackie Battle, Sr., Houston Running Back- Matt Forte, Jr., Tulane Running Back- Quinton Smith, Sr., Rice Offensive Lineman- Blake Butler, Sr., Memphis Offensive Lineman- Chris Clark, Jr., Southern Miss Offensive Lineman- Josh Coffman, Sr., East Carolina Offensive Lineman- Brandon Pearce, So., Memphis Offensive Lineman- Robby Heos, Jr., Rice Tight End- Davon Drew, So., East Carolina Wide Receiver- Donnie Avery, Sr., Houston Wide Receiver- Bobby Chase, Sr., SMU Wide Receiver- Damarcus Davis, Sr., Tulane
DEFENSE Defensive Lineman- Marcus Hands, Jr., East Carolina Defensive Lineman- Robert Henderson, Jr., Southern Miss Defensive Lineman- Phillip Hunt, So., Houston Defensive Lineman- Alex Obomese, Sr., UTEP Linebacker- Reggie Carrington, Sr., SMU Linebacker- Chris Chamberlain, So., Tulsa Linebacker- Quentin Cotton, So., East Carolina Linebacker- Joe Henderson, So., UAB Defensive Back- Will Dunbar, Jr., UAB Defensive Back- Caleb Hendrix, Sr., Southern Miss Defensive Back- Brandon Sumrall, Jr., Southern Miss Defensive Back- Brandon McDonald, Sr., Memphis
SPECIAL TEAMS Placekicker- Robert Lee, Sr., East Carolina Punter- Ryan Dougherty, Sr., East Carolina Kick Returner- Marculus Elliott, Sr., UAB Punt Returner- Emmanuel Spann, So., Marshall Long Snapper- Drew Clardy, Sr., Rice