Gamecocks Place League-Best 14 Players on All-OVC Teams
11/20/2018 12:13:00 PM | Football
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – After winning a record fifth-straight Ohio Valley Conference championship, Jacksonville State placed a league-high 14 players on the All-OVC Teams that were released on Tuesday by the league office.
The Gamecocks placed eight players on the All-OVC First Team, four on the Second Team and two more on the OVC All-Newcomer Team after becoming the first team in league history to win five consecutive titles. The outright title caps a five-year stretch that has seen JSU go 38-1 in league play. It also put JSU in the FCS Playoffs for the sixth-straight season, joining North Dakota State and South Dakota State as the only three teams to appear in each of the last six playoff fields.
After finishing the regular season with the sixth-most explosive offense in the FCS, The Gamecocks placed six players on the All-OVC First Team Offense. Quarterback Zerrick Cooper, wide receiver Josh Pearson, tight end Trae Barry and offensive linemen B.J. Autry and Darius Anderson were all voted to the First Team by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Lineman Hunter Sosebee was named to the Second Team Offense.
Defensively, lineman Randy Robinson and safety Marlon Bridges were First Team honorees, while lineman Connor Christian, linebacker Jalen Choice and safety Traco Williams were Second Team picks.
Cooper also earned OVC All-Newcomer honors, and joining him on that team was cornerback Yul Gowdy.
The 14 selections were more than any other team and runs the Gamecocks' total All-OVC players over John Grass' five-year tenure to 84, an average of just under 17 per season.
Cooper grabs his first All-OVC honor after what has already been a record-breaking first campaign for the Gamecocks. After transferring from Clemson in the offseason, the Jonesboro, Ga., native set new school records with 2,825 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns. He has completed 212-of-341 passes, a .622 completion percentage that is third-best in school history among players with 100 completions. His honor gives JSU the First-Team quarterback for an OVC-record fifth-straight season after Eli Jenkins won the honor from 2014-16 and Bryant Horn in 2017.
His top target this season has been Pearson, who leads all Division I players with 17 touchdown receptions. The Decatur, Ala., native has six more touchdown catches in a season than any other player in school history, while his 59 catches are fourth-most and his 980 yards third-most in a season in JSU history. The first All-OVC honor for the junior comes one day after he was named one of 25 finalists for the alter Payton Award, given annually to the Offensive Player of the Year in FCS.
Barry has been another popular target this season for the Gamecocks as a sophomore in 2018, improving upon a freshman campaign that earned him Second Team honors a year ago. This season, the Summerdale, Ala., native has 26 catches for 401 yards and a touchdown. He joined fellow tight end Landon Rice and JSU's talented receiving corps to lead the Gamecocks to a school-record 3,248 passing yards, 625 of which went to the tight end duo of Barry and Rice.
2018 marks the fourth-straight year that at least four offensive linemen have been named to the All-OVC Teams and also the fourth-straight year at least three have earned First Team honors. The JSU front has paved the way for 5,567 yards of total offense in 2018, already the fourth-most in a season in school history. With 2,319 rushing yards and over 3,200 yards through the air, JSU has also scored 459 points, third-most in a season in school history.
Scozzaro is the league's First Team center for the second-straight season. The sixth-year senior from Bessemer, Ala., has started every game for JSU after taking over the starting center position in 2017. The best guard duo in the OVC of B.J. Autry and Darius Anderson both grab All-OVC honors for the second-straight season. Autry, a senior from Eight Mile, Ala., was a First Team pick in 2017, while Anderson, a junior from Jonesboro, Ga., was a Second Team lineman a year ago. Sosebee, a junior from Ringgold, Ga., grabs his first All-OVC honor.
Robinson nabs First Team All-OVC accolades for the third-straight season after leading a dominant defensive front for the Gamecocks in 2018. The senior from Riverdale, Ga., helped in the middle of a defensive line that held foes to just over 100 yards rushing per game this season by making 34 stops, eight for a loss, and three sacks. He has a team-high nine quarterback hurries and is second nationally with a school-record tying four blocked kicks this season.
Bridges also grabs First Team honors for the third-straight season in 2018, despite fighting through an early season injury that held him off the field in parts of games at the beginning of the Gamecocks' slate. The junior from Lanett, Ala., had 52 stops, 1.5 for a loss, an interception and a forced fumble in the regular season. He currently ranks 15thamong all active FCS players in career forced fumbles per game and 28thin interceptions per game.
Christian receives his first All-OVC what was a second dominant season for the Gamecocks' defensive front. The senior from Dallas, Ga., has been a mainstay in the middle for JSU the past two seasons and in 2018, he has made almost half of his stops in the opposing backfield. He leads the team with 5.5 sacks for a total loss of 27 yards and has also been credited with six quarterback hurries.
Choice has led the team in tackles all season and enters the playoff with a team-best 73, 41 solo. The junior from Tuscaloosa, Ala., also leads the team in tackles for loss with 10.5 and also has four hurries, and an interception that he returned 54 yards for a touchdown on Nov. 10 at Tennessee State. The honor is the first All-OVC nod for Choice, who took over the starting job this season.
Another player that earns his first All-OVC honor in 2018 is Williams, who put up solid numbers as a safety yet again for the Gamecocks. Following up a strong performance in 2017, the Valley, Ala., native was even better in 2018, leading the Gamecocks with four interceptions and also in interception return yards with 63. He finished the regular season with 50 stops, eight for a loss, and is second on the team with nine passes defended.
Gowdy grabbed OVC All-Newcomer honors after a solid redshirt freshman season as a starting cornerback for the Gamecocks. After an injury ended his 2017 season early, he received a medical redshirt and made the most of it in 2018, recording 32 tackles, 25 solo, and also intercepting a pass that he returned 15 yards for a score in the Tennessee State game.
The No. 8 Gamecocks begin their FCS Playoff quest on Saturday, when they host No. 21 East Tennessee State at 6:30 p.m. in the first round at Burgess-Snow Field. Tickets are available online for just $15 at www.JSUGamecockSports.com/Tickets or for $20by calling the JSU JSU Ticket Office at 256-782-8499. Students can receive one free ticket by logging into their myjsu account and clicking on the University Tickets link.
The Gamecocks placed eight players on the All-OVC First Team, four on the Second Team and two more on the OVC All-Newcomer Team after becoming the first team in league history to win five consecutive titles. The outright title caps a five-year stretch that has seen JSU go 38-1 in league play. It also put JSU in the FCS Playoffs for the sixth-straight season, joining North Dakota State and South Dakota State as the only three teams to appear in each of the last six playoff fields.
After finishing the regular season with the sixth-most explosive offense in the FCS, The Gamecocks placed six players on the All-OVC First Team Offense. Quarterback Zerrick Cooper, wide receiver Josh Pearson, tight end Trae Barry and offensive linemen B.J. Autry and Darius Anderson were all voted to the First Team by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Lineman Hunter Sosebee was named to the Second Team Offense.
Defensively, lineman Randy Robinson and safety Marlon Bridges were First Team honorees, while lineman Connor Christian, linebacker Jalen Choice and safety Traco Williams were Second Team picks.
Cooper also earned OVC All-Newcomer honors, and joining him on that team was cornerback Yul Gowdy.
The 14 selections were more than any other team and runs the Gamecocks' total All-OVC players over John Grass' five-year tenure to 84, an average of just under 17 per season.
Cooper grabs his first All-OVC honor after what has already been a record-breaking first campaign for the Gamecocks. After transferring from Clemson in the offseason, the Jonesboro, Ga., native set new school records with 2,825 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns. He has completed 212-of-341 passes, a .622 completion percentage that is third-best in school history among players with 100 completions. His honor gives JSU the First-Team quarterback for an OVC-record fifth-straight season after Eli Jenkins won the honor from 2014-16 and Bryant Horn in 2017.
His top target this season has been Pearson, who leads all Division I players with 17 touchdown receptions. The Decatur, Ala., native has six more touchdown catches in a season than any other player in school history, while his 59 catches are fourth-most and his 980 yards third-most in a season in JSU history. The first All-OVC honor for the junior comes one day after he was named one of 25 finalists for the alter Payton Award, given annually to the Offensive Player of the Year in FCS.
Barry has been another popular target this season for the Gamecocks as a sophomore in 2018, improving upon a freshman campaign that earned him Second Team honors a year ago. This season, the Summerdale, Ala., native has 26 catches for 401 yards and a touchdown. He joined fellow tight end Landon Rice and JSU's talented receiving corps to lead the Gamecocks to a school-record 3,248 passing yards, 625 of which went to the tight end duo of Barry and Rice.
2018 marks the fourth-straight year that at least four offensive linemen have been named to the All-OVC Teams and also the fourth-straight year at least three have earned First Team honors. The JSU front has paved the way for 5,567 yards of total offense in 2018, already the fourth-most in a season in school history. With 2,319 rushing yards and over 3,200 yards through the air, JSU has also scored 459 points, third-most in a season in school history.
Scozzaro is the league's First Team center for the second-straight season. The sixth-year senior from Bessemer, Ala., has started every game for JSU after taking over the starting center position in 2017. The best guard duo in the OVC of B.J. Autry and Darius Anderson both grab All-OVC honors for the second-straight season. Autry, a senior from Eight Mile, Ala., was a First Team pick in 2017, while Anderson, a junior from Jonesboro, Ga., was a Second Team lineman a year ago. Sosebee, a junior from Ringgold, Ga., grabs his first All-OVC honor.
Robinson nabs First Team All-OVC accolades for the third-straight season after leading a dominant defensive front for the Gamecocks in 2018. The senior from Riverdale, Ga., helped in the middle of a defensive line that held foes to just over 100 yards rushing per game this season by making 34 stops, eight for a loss, and three sacks. He has a team-high nine quarterback hurries and is second nationally with a school-record tying four blocked kicks this season.
Bridges also grabs First Team honors for the third-straight season in 2018, despite fighting through an early season injury that held him off the field in parts of games at the beginning of the Gamecocks' slate. The junior from Lanett, Ala., had 52 stops, 1.5 for a loss, an interception and a forced fumble in the regular season. He currently ranks 15thamong all active FCS players in career forced fumbles per game and 28thin interceptions per game.
Christian receives his first All-OVC what was a second dominant season for the Gamecocks' defensive front. The senior from Dallas, Ga., has been a mainstay in the middle for JSU the past two seasons and in 2018, he has made almost half of his stops in the opposing backfield. He leads the team with 5.5 sacks for a total loss of 27 yards and has also been credited with six quarterback hurries.
Choice has led the team in tackles all season and enters the playoff with a team-best 73, 41 solo. The junior from Tuscaloosa, Ala., also leads the team in tackles for loss with 10.5 and also has four hurries, and an interception that he returned 54 yards for a touchdown on Nov. 10 at Tennessee State. The honor is the first All-OVC nod for Choice, who took over the starting job this season.
Another player that earns his first All-OVC honor in 2018 is Williams, who put up solid numbers as a safety yet again for the Gamecocks. Following up a strong performance in 2017, the Valley, Ala., native was even better in 2018, leading the Gamecocks with four interceptions and also in interception return yards with 63. He finished the regular season with 50 stops, eight for a loss, and is second on the team with nine passes defended.
Gowdy grabbed OVC All-Newcomer honors after a solid redshirt freshman season as a starting cornerback for the Gamecocks. After an injury ended his 2017 season early, he received a medical redshirt and made the most of it in 2018, recording 32 tackles, 25 solo, and also intercepting a pass that he returned 15 yards for a score in the Tennessee State game.
The No. 8 Gamecocks begin their FCS Playoff quest on Saturday, when they host No. 21 East Tennessee State at 6:30 p.m. in the first round at Burgess-Snow Field. Tickets are available online for just $15 at www.JSUGamecockSports.com/Tickets or for $20by calling the JSU JSU Ticket Office at 256-782-8499. Students can receive one free ticket by logging into their myjsu account and clicking on the University Tickets link.
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