Eight Eagles earn spots on All-SAC football teams
November 20, 2013

Eight Eagles earn spots on All-SAC football teams

ROCK HILL, S.C. – No. 18 Carson-Newman has earned nine spots on the South Atlantic All-Conference teams. Five Eagles earned first team all-conference honors while four made the second team.

ROCK HILL, S.C. – No. 18 Carson-Newman has earned nine spots on the South Atlantic All-Conference teams.  Five Eagles earned first team all-conference honors while four made the second team.

First team selections are Brandon Baker (Miami, Fla.) at running back, Alex Taylor (Bristol, Tenn.) at right tackle, Curt Duncan (Morristown, Tenn.) as placekicker, Jaycob Coleman (Norton, Va.) at linebacker and Javaris Neal (Columbia, Tenn.) at defensive end.

Running back Tyron Douglas (Clover, S.C.), left guard Lucas Mathis (Greenwood, S.C.) and cornerback Eien Jacob (Jeanerette, La.) made the second team.  Taylor also made the second team as a long snapper.

Brandon Baker:

Baker has rushed for 872 yards in  his senior season to go along with eight touchdowns.  His ability to score from miles away has vastly improved in his final go-around at Mossy Creek.  A year ago, Baker had three touchdowns longer than 20 yards.  This season, Baker has that many scores from longer than 50 yards. 

"He has been a guy that's just continued to improve," Carson-Newman head coach Ken Sparks said. "When he's well, he makes things happen for us.  He's developed into our go-to guy."

Baker is peaking at the right time, four of his last six games have seen him rush for more than 140 yards and three of his last six have found him in the end zone twice.  He ranks third in the league in rushing yards per game and his 7.7 yards per carry are the best mark in the league. 

His 3,324 rushing yards are fifth all-time at Carson-Newman and his 35 career touchdowns are tied for seventh all-time at C-N. 

Alex Taylor

A four-year starter who, barring any short of the apocalypse, will make his 47th consecutive start for Carson-Newman along the offensive line, Taylor has cleared the way for a rushing attack that has ranked in the top five nationally in all four of his season's at Carson-Newman. 

"A four-year starter who's been a leader and somebody that we can always count on to make something happen on the offensive line," Sparks said. "He's never been overmatched since he's been at Carson-Newman."

This year he ranks third on the offensive line with 21 knockdowns.  He has the second highest grade among the Eagles' offensive line and has the second most grade outs for offensive coordinator Mike Turner's stringent system.  With him as longsnapper, the Eagles have not had a kick blocked. 

Curt Duncan

What hasn't the kicker from Morristown, Tenn. done? For the second straight year, Duncan has connected on a school record 14 field goals; one more and he breaks a tie with himself, Louis Reveiz and Rick Whetsel. 

"He hasn't had as good a year as he wanted, but some of us have contributed to that for not blocking good," Sparks said. "He's a tremendous talent who's made some big kicks.  He's not your typical kicker because of the athlete he is.  He's a tennis player and could play soccer if he wanted to."

He leads the SAC in scoring among kickers and is second in the league in scoring only to Carson-Newman quarterback De'Andre Thomas (Milledgeville, Ga.).  Duncan's 94 points are the second highest scoring total for a single season for a kicker in C-N history.  He's eight points away from the mark he set last season. 

Jaycob Coleman

Jaycob Coleman has had as good a season defensively for Carson-Newman as any player in the last 15 years.  Coleman needs four more tackles to become the first Eagle with 120 tackles in a single season since the turn of the century.  He needs eight more to start working is way in to the top 10 for the most tackles in a single season. 

"He's been a great story of mission accomplished," Sparks said.  "He's made a lot of progress personally and athletically.  The foundation is laid for him to do great things."

The senior has put together five consecutive games with 10 tackles or more.  His 17 tackles against Tusculum are the second highest total since 1996 and tied for 11th all-time at C-N. 

He is the first player with multiple 15-tackle performances in a single season since current Carson-Newman defensive coordinator and consensus All-American Mike Clowney was playing for C-N in his senior season back in 1996.  Coleman is fourth in the league and 22nd in the nation in tackles per game. He's also recovered a fumble for a touchdown and picked off two passes this year.

Javaris Neal

Javaris Neal improved upon SAC defensive freshman of the year honors a year ago to jump to the all-conference first team in his sophomore campaign.  The Columbia, Tenn.-native rumbled for a 41-yard interception return against Newberry and also picked off a pass against Mars Hill. 

"A guy that just keeps improving," Sparks said. "He's got great athletic ability who has a knack for making big plays.  When he's not held, he's probably going to make a play.  He's held more than anyone on our team."

Neal is fifth in the league in tackles among defensive linemen.  He's sixth in the league overall in sacks.  He had a career best nine tackles against Brevard. Neal turned in season best 2.5 tackle for loss-performances against Brevard and Wingate.  He also took down the opposing quarterback 1.5 times in both those games.

Tyron Douglas

Douglas makes his second consecutive appearance on the all-conference second team. Douglas leads Carson-Newman with five, 100-yard games this year.  He's second on the team for rushing touchdowns with nine.

"He's one of those guys who will hurt you when he runs," Sparks said. "He runs with great determination and we're fortunate to have him as a four-year starter."

Douglas reeled off a career long 69-yard run against Brevard.  He needs 166 more yards to become the ninth player in C-N football history with more than 3,000 yards for his career.  His 40 career touchdowns rank him fourth all-time in C-N football history. 

Lucas Mathis

A stalwart on the offensive line who has started 35 consecutive games for Carson-Newman, Mathis leads Carson-Newman in overall grade this season among the offensive linemen and is second in knockdowns with 23.  He has graded out five times this year, and has the highest individual grade of the year for C-N, a 78 out of 80 against Brevard. 

"This has probably been his finest year," Sparks said. "He's just made so many things happen for us offensively."

He, along with Taylor have been the pillars for the Eagles' hard-driving offensive line that has piled up 45 rushing touchdowns this season. 

Eien Jacob

For the fourth consecutive year, Carson-Newman has an all-conference cornerback.  Eien Jacob is 24th in the nation and second in the SAC with his five picks.  With his two interceptions against Newberry, Jacob became the first Eagle with a multi-pick game since Oliver Davis had a pair against Tusculum in 2010. 

"A great newcomer who has filled a hole for us and filled it very spectacularly," Sparks said. "His five picks and the big plays he's made have been a major contribution to our team.  He's just fun to be around."

He finished the year with a career best seven-tackle day against Wingate.  Jacob needs a pair of picks to break into the top 10 for most interceptions in a single season at C-N.

 

 

SAC Offensive Player of the Year – Bo Cordell, Tusculum

SAC Defensive Player of the Year – Michael Green, Lenoir-Rhyne

SAC Offensive Freshman of the Year – Trent Miller, Mars Hill

SAC Defensive Freshman of the Year – Rodney Singleton, Lenoir-Rhyne

Jacobs Blocking Trophy – Joe Ray, Lenoir-Rhyne

SAC Coach of the Year – Mike Houston, Lenoir-Rhyne

 
 

All-SAC First Team Offense

QB – Bo Cordell, Tusculum

RB – Shaikel Davis, Mars Hill

RB – Brandon Baker, Carson-Newman

RB – Jarrod Spears, Lenoir-Rhyne

WR – Dimitri Holmes, Mars Hill

WR – Corey Washington, Newberry

WR – Justin Houston, Tusculum

OL – Denzell Goode, Mars Hill

OL – Alex Taylor, Carson-Newman

OL – Joe Ray, Lenoir-Rhyne

OL – Jamal Ellis, Newberry

OL – Zack Bunn, Lenoir-Rhyne

TE – Wesley Powell, Tusculum

LS – Austin Crook, Newberry

P – Kyle Clark, Newberry

PK – Curt Duncan, Carson-Newman/Zach Neumann, Lenoir-Rhyne

 

All-SAC First Team Defense

DL – Blake Baker, Lenoir-Rhyne

DL – Troy Harris, Mars Hill

DL – Letavious Williams, Newberry

DL – Javaris Neal, Carson-Newman

LB – Sammy Siasia, Mars Hill

LB – Tanner Botts, Lenoir-Rhyne

LB – Jaycob Coleman, Carson-Newman

LB – Edmond Robinson, Newberry

DB – Michael Green, Lenoir-Rhyne

DB – L.J. McCray, Catawba

DB – Myer Nolan, Lenoir-Rhyne

DB – David Davis, Newberry

RS – L.J. McCray, Catawba

 

All-SAC Second Team Offense

QB – Robbie Nallenweg, Wingate/W.T. Murden, Newberry

RB – Isaiah Whitaker, Lenoir-Rhyne

RB – Kelvin Jeter, Brevard

RB – Tyron Douglas, Carson-Newman

WR – Nate Charest, Catawba

WR – Jordan Berry, Wingate

WR – Deon Hicks, Tusculum

OL – Lucas Mathis, Carson-Newman

OL – Will Poteat, Wingate

OL – David Davis, Tusculum

OL – Nick Allison, Mars Hill

OL – Landon Martin, Newberry/Taylor Fender, Catawba

TE – Brandon Ellington, Wingate

LS – Alex Taylor, Carson-Newman

P – Austin Anthony, Wingate

 

All-SAC Second Team Defense

DL – Jimmy Long, Lenoir-Rhyne

DL – Nick Napolitano, Wingate

DL – Jonathan Jean, Catawba

DL – Josh Davis, Tusculum

LB – Brian Alexander, Tusculum

LB – Michael Gruber, Brevard

LB – Jason Taylor, Catawba

LB – B.J. Mazyck, Newberry

DB – Eien Jacob, Carson-Newman

DB – O'Neil Blake, Lenoir-Rhyne

DB – Jacob McCleery, Brevard

DB – Jon Jimenez, Wingate

RS – Jason Livingston, Newberry

 
 

SAC Statistical Champions

Rushing Yards per Game – Shaikel Davis, Mars Hill (125.4)

Passing Yards per Game – Bo Cordell, Tusculum (356.4)

Total Offense per Game – Bo Cordell, Tusculum (365.1)

Receptions per Game – Justin Houston, Tusculum (11.0)

Receiving Yards per Game – Dimitri Holmes, Mars Hill (144.6)

All-Purpose Yards per Game – Justin Houston, Tusculum (191.4)

Pass Efficiency Rating – W.T. Murden, Newberry (151.8)

Punt Return Average – Jason Livingston, Newberry (12.2)

Kick Return Average – Tim Nalesnik, Wingate (27.3)

Punting Average – Kyle Clark, Newberry (39.0)

Scoring Average (TDs) – De'Andre Thomas, Carson-Newman (8.73)

Scoring Average (Kicking) – Curt Duncan, Carson-Newman (8.55)

Field Goals per Game – Curt Duncan, Carson-Newman (1.27)

Field Goal Percentage – Patrick Smith, Wingate/Victor Yurco, Mars Hill (.860)

Tackles per Game – Sammy Siasia, Mars Hill (14.1)

Sacks per Game – Blake Baker, Lenoir-Rhyne (0.95) Tackles for Loss per Game – Troy Harris, Mars Hill (1.86)

Interceptions per Game – Michael Green, Lenoir-Rhyne (0.64)

Scoring Offense – Carson-Newman (39.3)

Scoring Defense – Lenoir-Rhyne (13.8)

Passing Offense – Tusculum (365.3)

Passing Defense – Newberry (200.9)

Rushing Offense – Lenoir-Rhyne (376.9)

Rushing Defense – Lenoir-Rhyne (85.9)

Total Offense – Carson-Newman (487.2)

Total Defense – Lenoir-Rhyne (307.6)