More Honors for Bearkats
12/23/2011 8:34:00 AM | Football
Five players from Sam Houston State University's No. 1 ranked football team have been selected to the 2011 Phil Steele Magazine NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America squad.
Bearkats offensive lineman Travis Watson and safety Darnell Taylor are first team selections. Running back Tim Flanders and offensive lineman Chris Crockett were named to the second team. J. T. Cleveland is a fourth team honoree.
All five players have been key performers for Sam Houston as the Bearkats have rolled to a 14-0 record and a spot in the NCAA Division I National Championship game in Frisco Jan. 7
Crockett and Watson, seniors from Converse Judson and Norman, Okla., respectively, were the leaders of the Bearkat offensive line. Sam Houston led the Southland Conference and ranked fourth nationally in rushing offense this year with 267.4 yards per game. Both players were first team All-Southland conference performers during the 2011 season.
Taylor, a junior from Mesquite, is the leading tackler for the Bearkat defense that sports national rankings of No. 1 in rushing defense, No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 4 in total defense. Taylor is the 2011 Southland Conference "Defensive Player of the Year" and a first team all-league selection. He has totaled 118 tackles in 14 games including nine for losses.
Flanders, a sophomore from Midwest City, Okla., is the 2011 Southland Conference "Player of the Year" and the league's leading rusher this season with 277 carries for 1,560 yards and 22 touchdowns. In 24 games as a Bearkat, Flanders has set 12 Sam Houston records.
Cleveland, a junior defensive tackle from Baytown Lee, is a first team All-Southland Conference performer this season. Cleveland led the Bearkat defensive line with 41 tackles this year including seven stops for losses.
