University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Football Selected for Preseason Honors
6/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 11, 2007
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Lindy's has released its 2007 Football Preview magazine, selecting Southern Miss to win Conference USA. The Golden Eagles also are ranked No. 41 in national rankings, and several Golden Eagles were selected for preseason honors.
Seven members of the Southern Miss football team landed their names on Lindy's 2007 All C-USA Teams. Damion Fletcher, Shawn Nelson, Chris Clark, Robert Henderson and Brandon Sumrall were named to the first team, while Martavius Prince and Britt Barefoot were named to the second team.
Fletcher, Southern Miss' and Conference USA's freshman all-time rushing leader, carried the ball 276 times for 1,388 yards, an average of 5.0 yards per carry and scored 11 touchdowns last season. He also has 18 catches for 142 yards. He has a school freshman-record seven 100-yard or more rushing yard performances and had a season-high 177 yards against NC State. He also rushed for three of the top 10 freshman rushing marks in the school's history and is second on the school's single-season rushing list.
Fletcher, the GMAC Bowl MVP, was named to the Scripps Freshman All-American team, second team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News, rivals.com and scout.com, All-Conference USA first team, All-Conference USA Freshman team and was finalist for the Conerly Trophy, signifying the best player in the state of Mississippi. Besides being named to Lindy's All C-USA First Team, Fletcher was also selected in the Top 10 NFL Talent in Conference USA and to the Honor Roll as the "Toughest to Bring Down."
Nelson, a junior tight end and All-American candidate, garnered first-team honors on the All-Conference USA Coaches' Team and honorable-mention sophomore All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com. Lindy's also named Nelson one of the Top 10 NFL Talents in Conference USA. He completed the 2006 season with a team-leading 36 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns.
Clark, a senior offensive lineman, earned third-team All-Conference USA honors on the Coaches' Team and the Media Team, marking his first all-conference selection. He helped pave the way for Southern Miss' first 1,000-yard rusher since 2002. The Golden Eagles were the top rushing team in Conference USA last season, averaging 169.9 yards per game and No. 25 in the nation. Clark gave up two sacks for the season and was named the "Hawg of the Week" six times. Lindy's also named him to the Conference USA Honor Roll as the "Best Pass Blocker."
Henderson, a senior defensive end, received All-Conference USA honors, landing on the second team of the Media Team and third team on the coaches' squad. He was the team's third-leading tackler with 59 tackles, including 36 solo stops, and was tied for the team lead with five sacks and has 12 tackles for loss. He forced a fumble, blocked a punt and broke up three passes.
Sumrall, a senior defensive back, was the second-leading tackler for Southern Miss with 77 total tackles, including 51 solo stops, two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups and three forced fumbles. He received All-Conference USA honors for the second-straight year, being named to the third team on the Coaches' and Media teams.
Prince, a senior defensive lineman, was named to the second team on the Coaches' All-Conference USA team, after being named to the third team on the Media team. He was 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 had an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Barefoot, who handled the team's punting and kickoffs last season, will step into the role as Southern Miss place kicker, replacing four-year starter Darren McCaleb. He finished the season with 68 kickoffs for 4,257 yards, an average of 62.6 yards per kick. He punted for 1,863 yards, averaging 38.0 yards per punt and a long of 55 yards.
