ALL-SOUTHLAND TEAMS

UCA dominates Southland honors

The University of Central Arkansas football team grabbed some individual honors Tuesday to go along with its Southland Conference championship and FCS playoff berth.

UCA players were named for five of the seven Southland individual awards given and had a league-high 20 players named to the All-Southland Conference teams, including 10 first-team selections.

Senior quarterback Hayden Hildebrand was named the conference's player of the year, and senior linebacker/safety George Odum was the defensive player of the year. Junior Austin Cook was tabbed as the offensive lineman of the year, while redshirt freshman running back Kierre Crossley was the freshman of the year.

Fourth-year Coach Steve Campbell was named the Southland Coach of the Year after leading the Bears to a 10-1 record, including 9-0 in Southland play, and a No. 3 ranking in both national Football Championship Subdivision polls. The Bears earned the No. 4 overall seed in the FCS playoffs and will face either Central Connecticut State or New Hampshire in a second-round game Dec. 2 at Estes Stadium in Conway.

Hildebrand finished the regular season as the most efficient passer in the nation with a 181.3 rating and was 15th in the nation in passing yards (2,768). Hildebrand, who threw 27 touchdown passes and 7 interceptions this season, is now second in career passing yards at UCA, as well as pass completions (560), pass attempts (887) and total offense (7,988 yards).

Odum, the Bears' leading tackler in each of the past two seasons, has moved into fourth place in career tackles (338) at UCA, including 30 tackles for loss and 6 1/2 sacks. Odum's 106 tackles this season were the second most in the conference.

Crossley led the Bears in rushing with 770 yards on 146 carries with 4 touchdowns, while also catching 11 passes for 128 yards. Cook, a pre-med major and All-Southland academic selection, helped the Bears' offense average 37.6 points and 468.2 yards per game this season -- both second in the conference.

The Bears' first-team all-Southland selections included Hildebrand, Cook, Odum, senior wide receiver Brandon Cox, senior offensive linemen Gilberto Garcia and Cade Camp, senior defensive ends Chris Chambers and Chris Terrell, senior defensive tackle Eric Jackson, and senior cornerback Tremon Smith.

Sophomore running back Carlos Blackman and sophomore safety Juan Jackson were both second-team selections, and another eight UCA players were honorable mentions.

All-Southland Conference football teams

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

POS.;CL.;NAME;SCHOOL

QB;Sr.;Hayden Hildebrand;Central Arkansas

RB;Sr.;Corey Avery;Sam Houston State

RB;Jr.;David Hamm;McNeese State

TE/HB;So.;Lawayne Ross;McNeese State

WR;Sr.;Brandon Cox;Central Arkansas

WR;Jr.;Davion Davis;Sam Houston State

WR;So.;Nathan Stewart;Sam Houston State

OL;Jr.;John Cook;Central Arkansas

OL;Sr.;Gilberto Garcia;Central Arkansas

OL;Sr.;Cade Camp;Central Arkansas

OL;Jr.;Mitchell Watanabe;Sam Houston State

OL;Jr.;Maea Teuhema;SE Louisiana

AP;Jr.;Davion Davis;Sam Houston State

PK;Jr.;Gunnar Raborn;McNeese State

P;Gr.;Joe Zema;Incarnate Word

DEFENSE

POS.;CL.;NAME;SCHOOL

DL;Sr.;Chris Chambers;Central Arkansas

DL;So.;Chris Terrell;Central Arkansas

DL;Sr.;Eric Jackson;Central Arkansas

DL;Sr.;P.J. Hall;Sam Houston State

LB;Sr.;Garrett Dolan;Houston Baptist

LB;Sr.;Sione Teuhema;SE Louisiana

LB;Sr.;Justin Johnson;Sam Houston State

DB;Sr.;Tremon Smith;Central Arkansas

DB;Sr.;George Odum;Central Arkansas

DB;Sr.;Max Lyons;SE Louisiana

DB;Sr.;Dominique Hill;McNeese State

DB;Jr.;Raphael Lewis;Houston Baptist

KR;So.;Desmond Hite;Incarnate Word

PR;Jr.;Davion Davis;Sam Houston State

SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

POS.;CL.;NAME;SCHOOL

QB;Sr.;Jeremiah Briscoe;Sam Houston State

RB;So.;Carlos Blackman;Central Arkansas

RB;So.;Kyran Irvin;Nicholls State

TE/HB;Sr.;Ragan Henderson;Sam Houston State

WR;Sr.;Yedidiah Louis;Sam Houston State

WR;Jr.;Damion Jeanpiere;Nicholls State

WR;So.;Tamrick Pace;Stephen F. Austin

OL;Jr.;Ryan Hanley;Nicholls State

OL;Jr.;Chris Zirkle;NW (La.) State

OL;Jr.;Chandler Arceneaux;Nicholls State

OL;Gr.;Andy Dodd;McNeese State

OL;So.;Eric David;Sam Houston State

AP;So.;Desmond Hite;Incarnate Word

PK;Jr.;Lorran Fonseca;Nicholls State

P;Sr.;Christian Guzman;Houston Baptist

DEFENSE

POS.;CL.;NAME;SCHOOL

DL;So.;Sully Laiche;Nicholls State

DL;Sr.;John Franklin;Stephen F. Austin

DL;Jr.;Kenny Dotson;Nicholls State

DL;Jr.;Chris Stewart;Sam Houston State

LB;Sr.;Sam Denmark;Abilene Christian

LB;Sr.;Ashari Goins;McNeese State

LB;So.;Allen Pittman;Nicholls State

DB;So.;Juan Jackson;Central Arkansas

DB;Jr.;Nate Jones;Lamar

DB;So.;Alize Ward;Stephen F. Austin

DB;Jr.;Corey Abraham;Nicholls State

DB;Jr.;Ahmani Martin;Nicholls State

KR;So.;Juwan Petit-Frere;SE Louisiana

PR;Sr.;Max Lyons;SE Louisiana

Sports on 11/22/2017

Upcoming Events