Six Southland Conference Football Players Named AP All-Americans
FRISCO, Texas - Six Southland Conference football players have
been named to the 2011 Associated Press NCAA Division I Football Championship
Subdivision All-America teams, the organization announced Thursday.
Sam Houston State led the list of three Southland schools with
three selections. SFA placed two individuals on the team and Northwestern State
landed one All-American.
SFA senior
offensive lineman George Bias was the lone league player to earn first-team
honors. Bias worked his way into the starting lineup during his freshman year,
and never looked back helping produce one of the nation's most prolific passing
attacks in school history. Bias battled through injuries during his final
season to help SFA lead the nation in pass protection despite putting the ball
in the air close to 600 times.
His teammate Gralyn Crawford, a junior receiver/kick returner, earned
third-team honors as an all-purpose selection. Crawford finished sixth in the
nation averaging 167.6 all-purpose yards per game in 2011. A 2010 All-America
selection as a kick returner, Crawford was again one of the nation's biggest
return threats in the country. He averaged 28.1 yards per kick, and returned a
kick 100 yards for a touchdown to set the school record this past season. It
was the fourth return for a touchdown in his career. Crawford also averaged
eight yards per punt return during his junior campaign. Also one of the
league's top wideouts, Crawford hauled in a league-best 72 passes for 780 yards
and seven touchdowns. Already the school's all-time receptions leader, Crawford
enters his final season on pace to become the school's all-time leader in receiving
yards and all-purpose yards.
Two of the three players from Sam Houston State earned second-team honors,
including running back Tim Flanders and safety Darnell Taylor. Flanders, a
sophomore from Midwest City, Okla., was the Southland Conference Player of the
Year, and Taylor, a junior from Mesquite, Texas was the league's defensive
player of the year. Cornerback Dax Swanson earned third-team All-America honors
after earning a spot on the all-conference team.
Flanders, Taylor and Swanson teamed to lead Sam Houston to the
only 13-0 regular-season record in the FCS. The Bearkats rolled 7-0 through
league action, outscoring their opponents 309-67 as Sam Houston earned its
fourth Southland Conference championship and its first outright title.
Sam Houston ended the regular season ranked No. 1 in the Sports
Network FCS Top 25 and received the No. 1 seed in the 2011 NCAA Division I playoffs.
Flanders ranks 21st in the nation and first in the Southland in
rushing this season with 103 yards per game. In his two years as a Bearkat he already has
set eight Sam Houston school records and two Southland Conference marks
including most points (138) and most touchdowns (23) in one season. Taylor, a
junior safety from Mesquite, is the leading tackler for a Bearkat defense that
ranks No. 1 in the nation in rushing defense, total defense, scoring defense
and pass efficiency defense and stands No. 2 in turnover margin. The
kinesiology major has totaled 100 tackles (69 solo, 31 assists) in 12 games
including eight tackles for losses and three quarterback sacks.
Swanson, sophomore quarterback from Waco, ranks No. 3 in the FCS
and leads the Southland with eight interceptions this season. He has returned
the interceptions for 117 yards including a run-backs of 64 and 37 yards that
set up a touchdowns in the Lamar and Montana State victories.
With his interception in the Montana State playoff victory,
Swanson set the school record for most interceptions in one year (eight).
Swanson intercepted two passes in 2010, bringing his career total to nine. That
ties him with Charles Stanley (1975-77) for sixth place in Sam Houston career
interceptions. Ronnie Choate (1955-59) holds the Bearkat career record with 13.
Northwestern State linebacker Derek Rose is a third-team
All-American. Rose, whose 91 tackles and 10 tackles for a loss led the Demons
this past season, is the first Northwestern player to earn All-America honors
in back-to-back seasons since defensive tackle Tory Collins achieved the feat
in 2005 and 2006. Rose was named to the
Sports Network All-America second team last year in addition to a fourth team
selection to the Phil Steele All-America squad.
In addition to his team-leading tackles and TFLs, Rose had one
interception, forced three fumbles, recovered a fumble, broke up two passes,
and compiled seven quarterback hurries.
Rose, who hails from New Orleans, La., can become just the second
three-time All-America in Demon football history next season, joining College
Football Hall of Fame linebacker Gary Reasons, who earned those honors from
1981-83 and was the first three-time All-American in FCS history.
2011 Associated Press All-America Teams
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Bo Levi Mitchell, senior, 6-2, 210, Eastern
Washington.
Running backs - Shakir Bell, sophomore, 5-8, 185, Indiana State;
Eric Breitenstein, junior, 5-11, 225, Wofford.
Linemen - J.C. Oram, senior, 6-4, 300, Weber State; George Bias,
senior, 6-3, 305, Stephen F. Austin; Paul Cornick, senior, 6-6, 309, North
Dakota State; Brett Moore, senior, 6-3, 255, Georgia Southern; Tom Compton,
senior, 6-6, 314, South Dakota.
Receivers - Rodrick Rumble, junior, 6-2, 201, Idaho State; Aaron
Mellette, junior, 6-4, 212, Elon; Ryan Spadola, junior, 6-3, 205, Lehigh.
All-purpose - Jonathan Grimes, senior, 5-10, 201, Williams &
Mary.
Kicker - Zach Brown, junior, 6-1, 200, Portland State.
DEFENSE
Linemen - Ben Boothby, senior, 6-0, 280, Northern Iowa; Zack Nash,
senior, 6-4, 260, Sacramento State; Ben Obaseki, junior, 6-3, 260, Indiana
State; Adrian Hamilton, senior, 6-3, 255, Prairie View A&M.
Linebackers - Tyler Holmes, senior, 6-0, 224, Massachusetts;
Kadarron Anderson, senior, 6-1, 234, Furman; Caleb McSurdy, senior, 6-1, 242,
Montana.
Defensive backs - Marcus Williams, sophomore, 5-11, 190, North
Dakota State; Trumaine Johnson, senior, 6-3, 210, Montana; Ryan Steed, senior,
5-11, 188, Furman; Josh Norman, senior, 6-2, 190, Coastal Carolina.
Punter - David Harrington, senior, 6-2, 1985, Idaho State.
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Chris Lum, senior, Lehigh.
Running backs - Terrance West, freshman, Towson; Tim Flanders,
sophomore, Sam Houston State.
Linemen - Bryan Boerner, senior, Southern Illinois; Gino
Gradowski, senior, Delaware; Nate Page, senior, Wofford; Blake Matthews,
senior, Norfolk State; Joe Faiella, senior, Stony Brook.
Receivers - Brian Quick, senior, Appalachian State; Mario Louis,
senior, Grambling; Nicholas Edwards, junior, Eastern Washington.
All-purpose - Brock Jackloski, senior, Stony Brook.
Kicker - Ryan Estep, senior, Norfolk State.
DEFENSE
Linemen - Brent Russell, junior, Georgia Southern; Blake Olijaro,
sophomore, San Diego; Andrew Schaetzke, senior, Georgetown; Ronnie Cameron,
senior, Old Dominion.
Linebackers - Matt Evans, junior, New Hampshire; Blake Peiffer,
junior, Southeast Missouri State; A.J. Storms, senior, Idaho State.
Defensive backs - Kejuan Riley, junior, Alabama State; Justin
Bethel, senior, Presbyterian; Darnell Taylor, junior, Sam Houston State; Bryce
Robertson, senior, Bucknell.
Punter - Jonathan Plisco, junior, Old Dominion.
THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Casey Brockman, junior, Murray State.
Running backs - Nick Schweiger, senior, Dartmouth; Matt Denham,
junior, Eastern Kentucky.
Linemen - Scott Schweitzer, senior, Tennessee Tech; Jon Apperud,
senior, Montana; Malcolm Boyd, junior, Liberty; Jeff Adams, senior, Columbia;
Troy McKenna, junior, Lehigh.
Receivers - Shane Savage, senior, Cornell; Tre Gray, senior,
Richmond; Elvis Akpla, senior, Montana State.
All-purpose - Gralyn Crawford, junior, Stephen F. Austin.
Kicker - Tyler Sievertsen, sophomore, Northern Iowa.
DEFENSE
Linemen -Ryan Davis, senior, Bethune-Cookman; Tyler Osborne,
senior Southern Utah; Josue Ortiz, senior, Harvard; Joseph Lebeau, junior,
Jackson State.
Linebackers - L.J. Fort, senior, Northern Iowa; Derek Rose,
junior, Northwestern State; Keith Pough, junior, Howard.
Defensive backs - Serge Kona, junior, Duquesne; Asa Jackson,
junior, Cal Poly; Jeremy Caldwell, senior, Eastern Kentucky; Daxton Swanson,
junior, Sam Houston State.
Punter - Patrick Murray, junior, Fordham