Associated Press Names Four Gamecocks to All-America Team
12/12/2017 12:05:00 PM | Football
COMPLETE AP FCS ALL-AMERICA TEAM
JACKSONVILLE – The first All-America Team of 2017 was released on Tuesday and four Jacksonville State names were on it.
The 2017 Associated Press FCS All-America Team featured senior offensive lineman Justin Lea on the first team offense and senior defensive end Darius Jackson on the first team defense, while senior running back Roc Thomas and sophomore safety Marlon Bridges were second team selections.
The four Gamecocks tied James Madison, Central Arkansas, Sam Houston State and Weber State for the most players from one program, but JSU and JMU were the only two teams with four on the first two teams.
The honors come after the Gamecocks (10-2, 8-0 Ohio Valley Conference) won their fourth-straight OVC title in record-breaking fashion. They posted an unprecedented fourth-straight unbeaten conference record to extend the nation's longest active conference win streak to 32 games. The longest streak in OVC history and the second-longest in FCS history dates back to the 2013 season.
Lea earns All-America honors for the second-straight year and for the third time in his career after being named a Freshman All-American in 2013. He was named a First Team All-OVC lineman for the third-straight year and became the first offensive lineman in OVC history to grab all-conference honors in all four seasons with his 2017 mention. He never missed a start in his career, breaking the JSU and OVC records for consecutive games started with 51.
The native of Henagar, Ala., played more snaps than any other JSU lineman in 2017, leading a group that placed all five starters on the All-OVC squad. He was in on 96 percent of his team's offensive snaps in 2017, guiding an offense that ranked second in the OVC in total offense and 16th nationally in rushing offense. Lea graded out at 90 percent on the season and was also an academic star. He was one of 13 finalists across all divisions of college football for the William V. Campbell Trophy and was one of 13 finalists for the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.
Jackson grabbed first-team All-America honors for the second-straight year after posting a record-breaking senior campaign for the Gamecocks. He was named the OVC's Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year, the league's first repeat winner since 1980-81. He was also recently named to eth final three for the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the national defensive player of the year in FCS and will be awarded at the annual STATS FCS Awards Banquet in Frisco, Texas on Jan. 5.
The Bessemer, Ala., native recorded a school-record 20.5 tackles for a loss in 2017, breaking his own school record of 19.0 that was set in 2015. The First Team All-OVC pick averaged 1.7 tackles for loss per game, tops in the OVC and fifth nationally, to lead a JSU defense that ranks second nationally in total defense, third in rushing defense, sixth in scoring defense, 10th in third-down conversion defense, fifth in passing efficiency defense and fifth in team tackles for a loss. Jackson finished the year with 55 tackles, 20.5 for a loss of 116 yards, seven sacks for a total loss of 70 yards and 23 quarterback hurries and was single-handedly responsible for an average loss of 15.5 yards per game for JSU opponents.
Thomas grabbed his first All-America mention in a Gamecock uniform after carrying the load for JSU ion 2017. He was the OVC's Offensive Player of the Year, a First Team All-OVC selection and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award after leading the Gamecocks and the OVC with 1,065 yards on 178 carries. He led the OVC and ranked 11th nationally with 5.98 yards per carry.
The Oxford, Ala., native's 109.08 all-purpose yards per game was second in the OVC and meant he was responsible for 30 percent of the Gamecocks' 368.7 yards of total offense per game in his senior season. Thomas was named the OVC Offensive Player of the Week five times this season and was the FCS National Player of the Week on Sept. 3.
Bridges is an All-American for the second-straight year as just a sophomore. The native of Lanett, Ala., was a First Team All-OVC selection for the second time in as many years at JSU an led what was a dominant defense for the Gamecocks in 2017. JSU ranked 13th in all of FCS in passing yards allowed and Bridges continued his knack for creating turnovers for the Gamecocks.
He was second on the team in tackles with 79 and in the top 10 in the league with three interceptions. What Bridges did with those interceptions was another thing. He amassed 137 yards on just three returns, scoring one touchdown. He blocked a kick, had six tackles for a loss, broke up five passes and defended eight.
JACKSONVILLE – The first All-America Team of 2017 was released on Tuesday and four Jacksonville State names were on it.
The 2017 Associated Press FCS All-America Team featured senior offensive lineman Justin Lea on the first team offense and senior defensive end Darius Jackson on the first team defense, while senior running back Roc Thomas and sophomore safety Marlon Bridges were second team selections.
The four Gamecocks tied James Madison, Central Arkansas, Sam Houston State and Weber State for the most players from one program, but JSU and JMU were the only two teams with four on the first two teams.
The honors come after the Gamecocks (10-2, 8-0 Ohio Valley Conference) won their fourth-straight OVC title in record-breaking fashion. They posted an unprecedented fourth-straight unbeaten conference record to extend the nation's longest active conference win streak to 32 games. The longest streak in OVC history and the second-longest in FCS history dates back to the 2013 season.
Lea earns All-America honors for the second-straight year and for the third time in his career after being named a Freshman All-American in 2013. He was named a First Team All-OVC lineman for the third-straight year and became the first offensive lineman in OVC history to grab all-conference honors in all four seasons with his 2017 mention. He never missed a start in his career, breaking the JSU and OVC records for consecutive games started with 51.
The native of Henagar, Ala., played more snaps than any other JSU lineman in 2017, leading a group that placed all five starters on the All-OVC squad. He was in on 96 percent of his team's offensive snaps in 2017, guiding an offense that ranked second in the OVC in total offense and 16th nationally in rushing offense. Lea graded out at 90 percent on the season and was also an academic star. He was one of 13 finalists across all divisions of college football for the William V. Campbell Trophy and was one of 13 finalists for the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.
Jackson grabbed first-team All-America honors for the second-straight year after posting a record-breaking senior campaign for the Gamecocks. He was named the OVC's Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year, the league's first repeat winner since 1980-81. He was also recently named to eth final three for the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the national defensive player of the year in FCS and will be awarded at the annual STATS FCS Awards Banquet in Frisco, Texas on Jan. 5.
The Bessemer, Ala., native recorded a school-record 20.5 tackles for a loss in 2017, breaking his own school record of 19.0 that was set in 2015. The First Team All-OVC pick averaged 1.7 tackles for loss per game, tops in the OVC and fifth nationally, to lead a JSU defense that ranks second nationally in total defense, third in rushing defense, sixth in scoring defense, 10th in third-down conversion defense, fifth in passing efficiency defense and fifth in team tackles for a loss. Jackson finished the year with 55 tackles, 20.5 for a loss of 116 yards, seven sacks for a total loss of 70 yards and 23 quarterback hurries and was single-handedly responsible for an average loss of 15.5 yards per game for JSU opponents.
Thomas grabbed his first All-America mention in a Gamecock uniform after carrying the load for JSU ion 2017. He was the OVC's Offensive Player of the Year, a First Team All-OVC selection and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award after leading the Gamecocks and the OVC with 1,065 yards on 178 carries. He led the OVC and ranked 11th nationally with 5.98 yards per carry.
The Oxford, Ala., native's 109.08 all-purpose yards per game was second in the OVC and meant he was responsible for 30 percent of the Gamecocks' 368.7 yards of total offense per game in his senior season. Thomas was named the OVC Offensive Player of the Week five times this season and was the FCS National Player of the Week on Sept. 3.
Bridges is an All-American for the second-straight year as just a sophomore. The native of Lanett, Ala., was a First Team All-OVC selection for the second time in as many years at JSU an led what was a dominant defense for the Gamecocks in 2017. JSU ranked 13th in all of FCS in passing yards allowed and Bridges continued his knack for creating turnovers for the Gamecocks.
He was second on the team in tackles with 79 and in the top 10 in the league with three interceptions. What Bridges did with those interceptions was another thing. He amassed 137 yards on just three returns, scoring one touchdown. He blocked a kick, had six tackles for a loss, broke up five passes and defended eight.
Players Mentioned
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