SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference football coaches selected the annual all-conference teams and award winners today. Chattanooga was well represented with nine team members honored, including first-year head coach Russ Huesman who was named the league's co-Coach of the Year.
Six Mocs garnered All-SoCon honors as chosen by the league's head coaches, led by senior defensive end Josh Beard who was named Defensive Player of the Year. Junior defensive back Buster Skrine and senior kicker Craig Camay joined Beard on the first team. Seniors Blue Cooper (WR) and Joseph Thornton (LB) and junior Chris Harr (OL) were all named to the second team.
The six all-conference selections are the most for UTC since earning six in 1990. That year was also the last time the Mocs had a player of the year (Troy Boeck) or coach of the year (Buddy Nix) awarded by the SoCon coaches.
Two other Mocs, defensive end Joshua Williams and running back Chris Awuah were also selected by the coaches to the SoCon All-Freshman team.
Huesman was the architect of one of the greatest turnarounds in league history, guiding his alma mater to a 6-5 overall mark and 4-4 record in league play in just his first year. After a 1-11, 0-8 campaign in 2008, the five-win turnaround ties for the best in school history. The results were just as noticeable in the stands where UTC averaged over 10,000 fans per game for the first time in Finley Stadium history and nearly doubled the attendance average from a year ago. Huesman's six victories are the most by a first-year Chattanooga coach since Bill Oliver went 8-3 in 1980. Huesman is the first Moc to earn coach of the year honors from the league's coaches since Buddy Nix in 1990.
Beard, a 6-1, 250-pound senior defensive end, is tied for the national lead with 12 sacks on the season, a number that equals the ninth-highest single-season total in league history and ties for the most in a season in school history. He was an integral part of Chattanooga's dramatic turnaround in 2009, as the Mocs' defense surrendered 12 fewer points and 135 yards less on average than a season ago. In addition to his sacks, the native of Lincolnton, Ga., tallied 62 tackles and four quarterback hurries. Beard is the first Chattanooga player to win a league player of the year award since Troy Boeck shared Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1990.
Camay tied for the league lead with 16 field goals, also tying for the second most in a season at UTC. His 84.2% (16-19) accuracy was the highest among the league leaders and second in the conference overall.
Skrine was the Mocs' lone selection to the preseason All-SoCon squad and lived up to the billing throughout the season. He recorded two interceptions on the year and was second in the league with eight pass-breakups. His 10 passes defended were fifth in the SoCon.
Harr led an offensive line that did not allow a sack the last four games of the season, including a trip to No. 2 Alabama. The Mocs gave up just nine sacks on the year, which tied for the lowest number in the league and the fifth-lowest in the nation. Cooper finished the year with 84 catches for 824 yards. He was second in the SoCon and No. 7 in the nation with 7.6 receptions per game. His 84 catches were the third highest for a season in UTC history.
Thornton led the team with 95 tackles and was sixth in the SoCon in stops for the season.
Awauh led the Mocs in rushing with 453 yards on the year. He took over the starting role as a true freshman after senior Bryan Fitzgerald was lost for the year in the Samford game. He finished with four rushing TDs and averaged 3.0 yards per carry. Williams, another true freshman, set a UTC freshman record with seven sacks on the year. He was also third in the SoCon in that category.
Appalachian State led all schools with 15 players selected to the all-conference team, including nine first-team honorees. Elon had 11 players chosen, followed by Chattanooga and The Citadel with six each and Samford with five.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players in the voting process.
2009 Coaches All-Southern Conference Football Team
Offensive Player of the Year - Armanti Edwards, Sr., QB, Appalachian State
Defensive Player of the Year - Josh Beard, Sr., DE, Chattanooga
Freshman of the Year - Michael Johnson, RB, Western Carolina
Jacobs Blocking Award - Mario Acitelli, Sr., OL, Appalachian State
Co-Coaches of the Year - Jerry Moore, Appalachian State and Russ Huesman, Chattanooga
First Team Offense
QB Armanti Edwards, Sr., Appalachian State
RB Chris Evans, Jr., Samford
RB Devon Moore, Jr., Appalachian State
OL Mario Acitelli, Sr., Appalachian State
OL David Harrison, Sr., Elon
OL Pat Illig, Jr., Wofford
OL Jon Weber, Sr., Samford
OL Chris Werden, Sr., Elon
TE Ben Jorden, So., Appalachian State
WR Terrell Hudgins, Sr., Elon
WR Andre Roberts, Sr., The Citadel
First Team Defense
DL Josh Beard, Sr., Chattanooga
DL Jabari Fletcher, Jr., Appalachian State
DL Andre Campbell, Sr., Elon
DL Eric Ludwig, Sr., Elon
LB Jacque Roman, Sr., Appalachian State
LB D.J. Smith, Jr., Appalachian State
LB Bryce Smith, Jr., Samford
LB (tie) Joshua Jones, So., Elon
DB Mark LeGree, Jr., Appalachian State
DB Karlos Sullivan, Sr., Elon
DB Buster Skrine, Jr., Chattanooga
DB Cortez Gilbert, Sr., Appalachian State
First Team Specialists
PK Craig Camay, Sr., Chattanooga
P Chris Tommie, Sr., Wofford
RS Andre Roberts, Sr., The Citadel
Second Team Offense
QB Scott Riddle, Jr., Elon
RB Jamal Shuman, So., Elon
RB Tersoo Uhaa, So., Furman
OL Tyler Haynes, Sr., Furman
OL Chris Harr, Jr., Chattanooga
OL Daniel DeHaven, Sr., The Citadel
OL Clark Bishop, Jr., Wofford
OL Brett Irvin, Jr., Appalachian State
TE Alex Sellars, Jr., The Citadel
TE (tie) Chris Truss, Sr., Furman
WR Blue Cooper, Sr., Chattanooga
WR CoCo Hillary, Jr., Appalachian State
Second Team Defense
DL Terrence Reese, Sr., The Citadel
DL Brent Russell, Fr., Georgia Southern
DL Malcolm Bennett, Sr., Appalachian State
DL Markeith Wylie, Sr., Georgia Southern
DL (tie) John Michael Clay, Jr., Samford
LB Adrian McLeod, Sr., Western Carolina
LB Joseph Thornton, Sr., Chattanooga
LB Jordon Gilmore, Sr., The Citadel
DB Cameron McGlenn, Sr., Elon
DB Nolan Ward, Sr., Elon
DB Julian Hicks, Sr., Furman
DB Ed Gainey, So., Appalachian State
Second Team Specialists
PK Jason Vitaris, Jr., Appalachian State
P Bob Hooper, So., Samford
RS CoCo Hillary, Jr., Appalachian State
All-Freshman Offense
Tommy Edwards, QB, The Citadel
Van Dyke Jones, RB, The Citadel
Miguel Starks, QB, The Citadel
Jeremy Peterson, WR, Elon
Jerry Williams, RB, Furman
Patrick Barker, WR, Georgia Southern
Jamere Valentine, WR, Georgia Southern
George Allers, OL, Samford
Charlie Sanford, OL, Samford
Chris Awuah, RB, Chattanooga
Michael Johnson, RB, Western Carolina
All-Freshman Defense
Michael Frazier, LB, Appalachian State
Justin Lloyd, LB, Appalachian State
Chris Billingslea, DL, The Citadel
Joseph Boateng, DB, The Citadel
Dale Riley, LB, Elon
Josh Lynn, DL, Furman
Nathan Wade, DB, Furman
Darius Eubanks, DB, Georgia Southern
Brent Russell, DL, Georgia Southern
Joshua Williams, DL, Chattanooga
SeQuan Stanley, LB, Wofford
All-Freshman Specialists
Sam Martin, P, Appalachian State
Adam Shreiner, PK, Elon
Cameron Yaw, PK, Samford
