Davis named SLC Offensive Player of the Year
11/21/2017 3:48:00 PM | Football
Full Release From Southland Conference
FRISCO – Junior wide receiver Davion Davis was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year, headlining 10 players who earned all-Southland Conference honors in an announcement from league officials on Tuesday afternoon.
It is the third straight season a Bearkat has claimed the SLC's Offensive Player of the Year honor, and the second straight season for a Sam Houston wide receiver after Yedidiah claimed it a year ago. It was one of four overall honors for Davis, who was also named to the first team all-SLC team as a wide receiver, all-purpose player and punt returner.
The 12 overall selections to the first and second team are tied for the most in the league with league champion Central Arkansas; however, it was the Bears who made hay in the league's superlatives, winning Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Joining Davis on the all-Southland Conference first team include Corey Avery (RB), Nathan Stewart (WR), Mitchell Watanabe (OL), P.J. Hall and Justin Johnson (LB).
Quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe was named the league's second-team quarterback and was joined on the second squad by Ragan Henderson (TE), Louis (WR), Eric David (OL) and Chris Stewart (DL). Safety Adrian Contreras, freshman cornerback Jaylen Thomas and senior offensive lineman Tyler Tezeno were also named an honorable mention choice.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – DAVION DAVIS
Davis has been a jack of all trades for the Bearkats in his junior season. The Hutto native ranks second in the nation with 17 total touchdowns, becoming just the fourth Bearkat in school history to score a rushing, receiving and return touchdown in the same season.
He has racked up 1,467 all-purpose yards, leading the Southland and ranking 14th in the nation. Of those yards, 990 are receiving, ranking second in the league only behind teammate Nathan Stewart. His 14 receiving touchdowns are just one off the national lead and he will enter the FCS Playoffs having just tied Louis and former Bearkat Matt Dominguez for the SHSU school record with 27 touchdown catches for his career.
This season he has accounted for at least one touchdown in in 10 of 11 games played and has five 100-yard games receiving. He set a career high with four touchdown catches in a win over Northwestern State and has also averaged 22.7 yards per punt return with a pair of scores on special teams despite not taking over punt return duties until midway through the year. He is one of just two players in the nation with multiple punt return scores this season.
ALL-SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Corey Avery (RB), Nathan Stewart (WR), Mitchell Watanabe (OL), P.J. Hall (DL), Justin Johnson (LB)
Sam Houston also took up five more spots on the first team, including running back Corey Avery who was named to the first team for the third time in his career. The senior back leads the league with both 839 total yards and 76.3 yards per game on the ground, along with 6.0 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns. His 11 rushing scores is in the top 20 in the nation, as are his 12 total touchdowns. He became just the third running back in the history of Sam Houston with over 3,000 career rushing yards with his third 100-yard game of the year in the season finale against HBU.
Stewart also landed on the first team for the second time in two tries after a sophomore season that surpassed a breakout freshman campaign in 2016. The Dallas native leads the SLC and ranks second in the nation with 1,305 receiving yards, while his 11 receiving touchdowns is top 10 in the nation as well. He has surpassed 100 yards receiving six times this year, and owns the top two single-game yardage efforts in the SLC this year with 247 yards against Northwestern State and 198 against HBU. Stewart is the first Bearkat in history with multiple 1,000- yard seasons and is the fastest Kat to 2,000 receiving yards in school history.
The Kats also landed an offensive lineman on the first team in Watanabe who earned his first such honor of his career. The junior left tackle was a preseason all-league choice and started every game for the Kats this season, helping the Kats be the most potent offense in all of the FCS, leading the nation in both scoring and total offense.
Hall's selection highlighted the Bearkats' defensive selections as he joined Timothy Flanders as the only two Kats in history to earn first team all-league honors for four straight years. The senior defensive lineman was arguably the most dominant force in the SLC once again on the defensive side of the ball, despite missing the first two games of the year. In just nine games he still ranked in the top 10 in the league in sacks and totaled 15.0 tackles for loss, setting a new FCS record for career tackles for loss two weeks ago at ACU. Additionally, Hall has also been a menace on special teams, leading the nation in that category and setting a new career record at SHSU along the way in running his total tally to 14.
He was joined on the first team defense by Johnson who also made the top squad for the second time in as many tries as a Bearkat. The conductor of the Bearkat defense, Johnson ranks 12th in the league with 77 total tackles and picked off his first pass of the season at ACU, setting up a Bearkat score. He's also picked up 4.0 sacks, doubling his total from a year ago and 7.5 tackles for loss.
ALL-SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
Jeremiah Briscoe (QB), Ragan Henderson (TE), Yedidiah Louis (WR), Eric David (OL), Chris Stewart (DL)
Despite leading the nation in both touchdown passes and passing yards for the top offense in the FCS, Briscoe was voted as the league's second-team quarterback. His 37 touchdowns in 2017 is seven more than any other quarterback in the country and has him in line to become the first player in the FCS since Eastern Washington's Bo Levi Mitchell in 2010 and 2011 to lead the country in touchdown passes in consecutive seasons. He has thrown for at least 300 yards and multiple touchdowns in nine of 11 games and over the 400-yard mark once, while also adding three rushing touchdowns. His 509 yards of passing in Sam Houston's win over Northwestern State is tied for the fourth most of any player in the nation in a single game this year.
Joining Briscoe on the second team is Henderson who earned his first all-league recognition of his career. A dominant blocker and versatile offensive weapon, the fifth-year senior caught 12 passes for 136 yards and a pair of scores on the year while also rushing for 39 yards and a score out of the backfield. He opened the year with a 45-yard touchdown catch in the win over Richmond and added at least one catch in each of the Bearkats' last eight games.
Louis also earned all-league honors for the third straight season, despite missing three full games due to injury. This year he became the all-time leader in the Southland Conference in receiving yards and receptions and is tied with Davis and Dominguez for the school record of 27 career touchdown catches. He ranks in the top five in the league in both receptions and total yards, but has been on fire since returning from injury, catching 29 passes for 412 yards and four scores in his last three games.
David also earned his first all-league recognition of his career after starting all 11 games at left guard, securing the left side of the line with Watanabe throughout the season. The sophomore took over the job this season and has been stellar in spurring the nation's top offense.
The Kats also added Chris Stewart to the second team, the first such honor for the first-year player. He is currently tied for sixth in the nation with 10.5 sacks and is tied for 14th with 16.0 tackles for loss. He blocked a pair of extra points in the season finale vs HBU and has forced and recovered a fumble this year. In his last four outings, he has picked up 8.0 tackles for loss and has totaled 46 tackles this year, joining with Hall to form arguably the SLC's top defensive line duo.
