Hall named as one of FCS's top 25 Defenders
12/1/2015 10:04:00 AM | Football
Sam Houston P. J. Hall has been listed as one of the top 25 defensive players in the nation in the voting for the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year award.
Defensive linemen James Cowser of Southern Utah and Tyrone Holmes of Montana and free safety Patrick Onwuasor of Portland State are the top three finishers in the voting. The winner of the award will be announced Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas, the night before the FCS national championships game.
A national panel of 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries voted for the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year, selecting a top five among 25 finalists.
Hall, the Bearkats' defensive end from Seguin, placed 15th in the balloting. A first team All-Southland Conference selection this year, Hall leads the Bearkat defense in total tackles with 52. That total includes 37 solo stops.
The sophomore has 17 tackles for 69 yards in losses. That total includes eight quarterback sacks. Hall also has blocked three kicks, intercepted two passes, had 10 pass break-ups, recovered a fumble and caused a fumble.
In only his second season as a Bearkat, Hall ranks second in both Sam Houston career tackles for losses (47) and sacks (20). Andre Finley, who earned All-Southland Conference honors in 1986-89, holds both records with 49 tackles for losses and 36 sacks.
The results for fourth through 25th place in the voting for STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year award were as follows:
4. Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky
5. Deiondre' Hall, Northern Iowa
6. Deon King, Norfolk State
7. Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State
8. DeAndre Houston-Carson, William & Mary
9. Victor Ochi, Stony Brook
10. Stephen Hodge, Fordham
11. Christian Kuntz, Duquesne
12. Don Cherry, Villanova
13. Jermaine Hough, Jacksonville State
14. Myke Tavarres, Incarnate Word
15. P.J. Hall, Sam Houston
16. Dee Delaney, The Citadel
17. Keionta Davis, Chattanooga
18. Darnell Sankey, Sacramento State
19. John Hugunin, Drake
20. Kourtney Berry, Alabama State
21. Tyler Drake, Penn
22. Chima Uzowihe, Liberty
23. O.J. Mau, Gardner-Webb
24. Derek Rivers, Youngstown State
25. Harlan Miller, Southeastern Louisiana
Hall and the Bearkats will continue their quest to advance in the 2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs when Sam Houston takes on No. 4 seed McNeese State in a rematch Saturday at 6 p.m. in Lake Charles, La.
Tickets in the Sam Houston section at Cowboy Stadium are available at the Bearkat athletic ticket office located on the west side of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
