November 24, 2010

Benford, Hilliard named all-OVC; Crawford on all-newcomer squad

Sophomore Tim Benford was voted first-team all-OVC, senior Justin Hilliard was selected second-team all-OVC, and senior Jocques Crawford earned a spot on the league's all-newcomer team for their performances in the 2010 football season.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech sophomore Tim Benford was voted first-team all-OVC, senior Justin Hilliard received second-team all-OVC recognition, and senior Jocques Crawford earned a spot on the league's all-newcomer team for their performances in the 2010 football season.

Southeast Missouri State, the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference champions, took home two of the four major individual OVC postseason awards in voting conducted by league head coaches and sports information directors and announced on Tuesday.

Southeast Missouri State running back Henry Harris was named Offensive Player of the Year while his head coach, Tony Samuel, was named the OVC Roy Kidd Coach of the Year. In the other major awards, Eastern Kentucky senior defensive lineman Andrew Soucy was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year while Jacksonville State punter/quarterback Coty Blanchard earned the Freshman of the Year award.

Benford, a 6-1, 195-pound wide receiver from Chattanooga,was the only player to repeat as a first-team all-OVC offensive selection. He led Tech and ranked among the league leaders with 50 catches for 812 yards, and tied the school record with 10 touchdown receptions.

Hiliard, a 6-3, 285-pound defensive lineman from Pikeville, Tenn., ranked eight on the team overall and led all of the Golden Eagle defensive linemen wth 47 total tackles. He also had 6.5 tackles-for-loss, broke up two passes and blocked a kick.

Crawford, a 6-1, 238-pound runningback from Memphis, finished as Tech's top rusher with 625 yards on 118 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per try. He scored nine touchdowns, including three in the season-ending 35-24 win over No. 4 Jacksonville State. He was third on the team in all-purpose yardage with 649, including 24 receiving yards. Crawford had two 100-yard rushing games.

The 2010 All-OVC Teams

2010 All-OVC Football Teams
OVC Offensive Player of the Year: Henry Harris, Southeast Missouri
OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Andrew Soucy, Eastern Kentucky
OVC Freshman of the Year: Coty Blanchard, Jacksonville State
OVC Roy Kidd Coach of the Year: Tony Samuel, Southeast Missouri

FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE
QB - Matt Scheible, Southeast Missouri
RB - Henry Harris, Southeast Missouri
RB - Mike Harris, Murray State
WR - Marcus Harris, Murray State
WR - Tim Benford, Tennessee Tech
TE - Cory Freeman, Jacksonville State
C - Sean Middleton, Southeast Missouri
OG - Bryan Curry, Southeast Missouri
OG - Frank Knights, Southeast Missouri
OT - Curt Porter, Jacksonville State
OT - Evan Conrad, Southeast Missouri

FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE
DL - Andrew Soucy, Eastern Kentucky
DL - Spyros Bazigos, Eastern Illinois
DL - Monte Lewis, Jacksonville State
DL - J.J. Sanchez, Southeast Missouri
LB - Nick Nasti, Eastern Illinois
LB - Jordan Dalrymple, Eastern Kentucky
LB - Josh Bey, UT Martin
DB - Jeremy Caldwell, Eastern Kentucky
DB - Keginald Harris, Jacksonville State
DB - Tylor Brock, Southeast Missouri
DB - Eugene Clifford, Tennessee State

FIRST-TEAM SPECIALISTS
K - Kienan Cullen, Murray State
P - Kevin Cook, Eastern Illinois
RS - Terrence Holt, Austin Peay

SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE
QB - Casey Brockman, Murray State
RB - Terrence Holt, Austin Peay
RB - Preston Brown, Tennessee State
WR - Orlandus Harris, Eastern Kentucky
WR - Jeffrey Cameron, Jacksonville State
TE - Cody Bruns, Eastern Illinois
C - Tyler Ogletree, Jacksonville State
OG - Justin Kay, Jacksonville State
OG - Alex Davis, Tennessee State
OT - Gershom Jordan, Tennessee State
OT - Jeremy Buchanan, UT Martin

SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE
DL - Emory Attig, Eastern Kentucky
DL - Jamison Wadley, Jacksonville State
DL - Justin Hilliard, Tennessee Tech
DL - Tim Cox, UT Martin
LB - Antonio Bonner, Jacksonville State
LB - Joshua Jackson, Southeast Missouri
LB - Justin Woodlief, Southeast Missouri
LB - Rico Council, Tennessee State
DB - CJ James, Eastern Illinois
DB - Patrick McClellan, Eastern Kentucky
DB - Dontrell Johnson, Murray State
DB - Kendal Harper, UT Martin

SECOND-TEAM SPECIALISTS
K - James Esco, Jacksonville State
P - Jordan Berry, Eastern Kentucky
RS - Dontrell Johnson, Murray State

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
QB - Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
P - Jordan Berry, Eastern Kentucky
DL - Anthony Brown, Eastern Kentucky
RB - Darius Barksdale, Jacksonville State
P/QB - Coty Blanchard, Jacksonville State
DL - Marquis George, Jacksonville State
WR - Arthur Brackett, Murray State
RB - Mike Harris, Murray State
DB/RS - Dontrell Johnson, Murray State
LB - Wilson Robinson, Tennessee State
RB - Jocques Crawford, Tennessee Tech

Note: The All-Newcomer team is comprised of first-year players in the OVC - that can be either true freshmen, redshirt freshmen or first-year transfers. The team consists of 11 total players and is not voted on by position. There were 12 players on the All-OVC second-team (4 LB's) due to a tie in voting.