Tuesday, December 23, 2008

College Football Top Ten & Pegasus News bring you their All-DFW College Football Team

By Todd E. Jones of College Football Top Ten

University of North Texas Athletics

Casey Fitzgerald is the top receiver in the NCAA, leading the nation with an average of 9.4 receptions per game

In honor of the 2008 college football season, we’ve put together an All-DFW College Football Team. Just as a word of clarification: First, the offense contains four wide receivers and only one running back, which reflects the style of offenses that are being run by the area teams. Second, the defense has four linebackers instead of three because of the talent that exists at that position among the three schools.

TCU leads the awards with 12 players including six on defense. The Frogs finished the year as the second best defense in the nation. Southern Methodist University was next with eight players including four on offense. The Mustangs finished 17th in the country in passing. The University of North Texas has five players representing the Mean Green.

Offense

Offensive Line

TCU

Blake Schlueter, 6-3, 284, Sr., Ganado, Texas

Marshall Newhouse, 6-3, 317, Jr., Lake Highlands, Texas

The Horned Frogs rushed for 215 yards per game this year controlling the clock for 35 minutes each game. Schlueter, was a first team All-MWC selection while Newhouse was second team All-MWC. They were the anchors for the TCU offensive line. Newhouse is a Lake Highlands High School graduate.

SMU

Kelvin Beachum, 6-3, 270, Fr., Mexia, Texas

Blake McJunkin, 6-2, 256, Fr., Plano, Texas

Freshman Kelvin Beachum started all 12 games, according to the SMU Athletic Department, blocking for an offense that threw for a school-record 33 TDs and ranked 17th in the nation in passing offense. Freshman Blake McJunkin started 10 of 12 games. McJunkin is a product of Plano High School.

UNT

J.J. Johnson, 6-2, 280, Fr, Plano, Texas

Johnson, a freshman, graded out as UNT's top offensive lineman for the year. As a center, he snapped the ball to the quarterback out of the shotgun on 884 offensive plays without a single bad snap. Johnson is a product of Plano West High School.

Backs/Receivers

WR Adrick Robinson, SMU, 5-10, 170, So. Waxahachie, Texas

Robinson led the Mustangs with 1047 yards receiving while catching 11 touchdown passes tying him for the single season record at SMU. Robinson collected four 100-yard games in 2008, including 210 yards against UCF which also included a 94 yard touchdown reception.

WR Emmanuel Sanders, SMU, 6-1, 170, Jr, Bellville, Texas

The all-time leader in touchdown catches at SMU, Sanders had 958 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. Sanders also ranks number two for SMU in career yards (2,452) and catches (187).

RB Cam Montgomery, UNT, 6-2, 208, Jr., The Woodlands, Texas

Montgomery led the team in rushing with 928 yards and nine touchdowns while starting in 10 of the team’s 12 games. Montgomery totaled more rushing yards than any North Texas player since Patrick Cobbs rushed for 1,154 in 2005, averaging 5.5 yards per carry for the year. Montgomery finished the year averaging 101.1 yards per game over the last seven games, scoring at least one rushing touchdown in all but one of those games.

www.MeanGreenSports.com

Cam Montgomery was the leading rusher for the North Texas Mean Green

WR Casey Fitgerald, UNT, 5-11, 195, Sr., Red Oak, Texas

Fitzgerald has had quite a career since UNT switched to Coach Dodge’s “Dodge Ball” spread offense. In 2008 he led the nation with an average of 9.4 receptions per game and was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s top receiver. Fitzgerald broke the Sun Belt Conference and the North Texas single-season receptions record with 113 catches this year. He is third in school history for receiving yards with 2,533 and fifth in touchdowns after being only a two-year starter.

WR Jimmy Young, So., 6-1, 200, Monroe, Louisiana

Jimmy Young had one of the best seasons that a receiver has ever had at TCU. Young finished the season with 926 yards and five touchdowns including a 226 yards receiving and three touchdowns against Wyoming. With a bowl game left, Young has a chance to pass the 1,000 yard mark.

QB, Andy Dalton, TCU, 6-3, 210, So., Katy, Texas

Dalton’s most impressive numbers this year for TCU is 10 and four. Ten is the number of victories that Dalton led TCU to. Four is the number of interceptions that Dalton threw. The sophomore from Katy, Texas became a leader this year for TCU running the Frogs’ multiple scheme offense which includes some elements of a spread offense and controlling the clock.

Billy Joe Gabriel

Quarterback Andy Dalton led TCU to ten wins in 2008.

Defense

Defensive Line

Jerry Hughes, TCU, 6-3, 260, Jr., Sugar Land, Texas

Hughes is the MWC Defensive Player of the Year and has garnered all kinds of awards for the 2008 season. He led the nation with 14 sacks, 18.5 tackles for a loss, and two interceptions with one being returned for a touchdown.

Cody Moore, TCU, 6-1, 292, Sr., Comfort, Texas

Moore was a disruptive force in the middle for the Frogs picking up six sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, and one interception.

Youri Yenga, SMU, 6-2, 220, So., Euless, Texas

Yenga led the Mustangs with 6.5 sacks, and he recorded 73 tackles and 10.5 tackles for a loss. He forced three fumbles, recovered one and had two blocked kicks. Yenga is a product of Euless Trinity High School.

Linebackers

Pete Fleps, SMU, 6-2, 220, So., Southlake, Texas

Fleps led SMU with 106 tackles. He had four pass breakups, 6.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks, and two forced fumbles. He was a winner of a 2006 Conference USA Academic Medal and a two-year member of the Commissioner's Honor Roll. Fleps came to SMU from Southlake Carroll High School.

Jason Phillips, TCU, 6-1, 234, Sr., Waller, Texas

Phillips is an honorable-mention All American for SI.com and All Mountain West Conference for the fourth time in four years.

Robert Henson, TCU, 6-1, 228, Sr., Longview, Texas

Henson was an All-MWC selection had 9 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, and was the second leading tackler for the Frogs with 73.

Tobe Nwigwe, UNT, 6-1, 251, Jr., Houston, Texas

The leading tackler for UNT, Nwigwe also ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference for tackles and 22nd in the nation. He leads Sun Belt Conference linebackers with three interceptions, including a 97-yard interception returned for a touchdown against Western Kentucky helping the Mean Green win the game. Nwigwe also blocked a field goal attempt and recovered a fumble.

University of North Texas Athletics

Tobe Nwigwe ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference and 22nd in the nation in tackles, averaging 9.2 per game.

Defensive Backs

Darien Williams, UNT, 5-10, 185, Fr., Vernon, Texas

Williams started the final 11 games of the season at free safety and played in all 12 games. He finished fourth on the team with 61 tackles, the most by a true freshman since 1999. Williams also recorded 3.5 tackles for loss and one quarterback sack while leading the team with a career high 12 tackles against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Derrius Bell, SMU, 5-10, 165, So., Dallas, Texas

Bell started 11 games for the Ponies and leads the team with nine pass breakups. He also has 53 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss and an interceptions. Bell is a product of Dallas Hillcrest High School.

Nick Sanders, TCU, 5-10, 174, Jr., Kilgore, Texas

Sanders recorded 11 pass breakups and 13 pass deflections.

Tejay Johnson, TCU, 6-1, 195, So., Garland, Texas

Jonson recorded 10 pass breakups and 11 pass deflections for the Horned Frogs. Johnson is a South Garland High School graduate.

Special Teams

Punter

Anson Kelton, TCU, 6-4 260, RS Fr., Aledo, Texas

Kelton averaged 42.0 yards per punt and put an incredible 27 punts inside the 20.

Kicker

Thomas Morstead, SMU, 6-5, 215, Sr., Pearland, Texas

The most versatile kicker in the DFW Metroplex, Morstead handled punting and kicking for SMU. On the year he was 11 of 15 kicking and 5 of 5 from beyond 40 yards.

Returner

Aaron Brown, TCU, 6-1 196, Sr., Katy, Texas

Brown averaged 31.9 yards in kick off returns including an 85 yard return against Oklahoma which helped the Frogs get an early score.

Pegasus News content partner - College Football Top Ten

Information and stats courtesy of the North Texas, SMU, and TCU Athletic Departments

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