CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears grabbed four of the seven individual awards when the 2012 All-Southland Conference Football teams were announced on Tuesday.
UCA had 17 total student-athletes honored, including 13 on the first or second teams. The Bears honored individually were junior quarterback Wynrick Smothers (Offensive Player of the Year); senior center Corey Howard (Offensive Lineman of the Year); redshirt freshman Jonathan Woodard (Freshman of the Year) and head coach Clint Conque (Coach of the Year).
UCA’s first-team selection included: Smothers, Howard, Woodard, senior wide receiver Dominique Croom, graduate linebacker Seth Allison, junior safety Jestin Love, sophomore placekicker Eddie Camara and senior wide receiver Jesse Grandy, who was also the first-team punt returner and first-team kick returner.
Second-team members included: senior running back Jackie Hinton, sophomore offensive lineman Cole Caruthers and junior defensive tackle Matt Hornbuckle. Honorable mention nods went to junior tight end Chase Dixon, sophomore receiver Dezmin Lewis, junior linebacker Justin Heard and freshman cornerback Dillion Winfrey.
Smothers, from Destrehan, La., is second in the SLC in passing, total offense and pass efficiency. He has completed 261 of 386 passes for 2,852 yards and a league-high 31 touchdowns, which is one short of the school record set last season by Nathan Dick. Smothers’ completion percentage is 67.6 percent. He is the second UCA player to be named the league’s offensive player of the year, joining his current UCA quarterbacks coach Nathan Brown, who claimed the award in 2007.
Howard, from Wichita Falls, Texas, is a four-year starter for the Bears who led a young offensive line this season. Woodard, from Brentwood, Tenn., finished fourth in the conference with seven sacks and was the only freshman among the conference’s top 20 players in the category. Woodard concluded the regular season tied for seventh in the conference in tackles for loss with 10.5 tackles for losses of 50 yards. He also recovered three fumbles on the season, returning one 72 yards for a touchdown against Stephen F. Austin. Woodard is UCA’s second player to win Freshman of the Year honors after Love shared the award in 2010.
Conque, who has the 8th-ranked Bears set for their second consecutive NCAA Division I playoff appearance, won his second Coach of the Year Award after leading UCA to a 9-2 overall ranking and a 6-1 league mark. Conque is the winningest coach in UCA history with a 98-53 record in 13 seasons, and has guided the Bears to a 29-13 mark in conference play since joining the league in 2006. He was announced as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award on Monday, the third time for that distinction in the past six seasons.
2012 Southland Conference Individual Superlative Winners
Player of the Year: Timothy Flanders, Sam Houston State
Offensive Player of the Year: Wynrick Smothers, Central Arkansas
Defensive Player of the Year: Darnell Taylor, Sam Houston State
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Corey Howard, Central Arkansas
Freshman of the Year: Jonathan Woodard, Central Arkansas
Newcomer of the Year: Kevin Johnson, Lamar
Coach of the Year: Clint Conque, Central Arkansas
2012 All-Southland Conference Football Teams
First Team Offense
Pos. Name Univ. Cl. Hometown
QB Wynrick Smothers UCA Jr. Destrehan, La.
RB Timothy Flanders SHSU Jr. Midwest City, Okla.
RB Gus Johnson SFA So. Gilmer, Texas
TE/HB T.J. Jones SHSU Sr. Tyler, Texas
WR Cordell Roberson SFA Sr. Jefferson, Texas
WR Jesse Grandy UCA Sr. Pine Bluff, Ark.
WR Dominique Croom UCA Sr. Cherokee, Ala.
OL Corey Howard UCA Sr. Wichita Falls, Texas
OL Kaleb Hopson SHSU Sr. Early, Texas
OL John Steel SFA Sr. Boyd, Texas
OL Arinze Agada MSU Jr. Houston, Texas
OL Chris Rogers SHSU Sr. Littleton, Colo.
AP Richard Sincere SHSU Jr. Galveston, Texas
PK Eddie Camara UCA So. Cedar Hill, Texas
First Team Defense
Pos. Name Univ. Cl. Hometown
DL Willie Jefferson SFA Sr. Beaumont, Texas
DL J.T. Cleveland SHSU Sr. Baytown, Texas
DL Jonathan Woodard UCA Fr. Brentwood, Tenn.
DL Darren Robinson SFA So. Dallas, Texas
LB Darius Taylor SHSU Sr. Mesquite, Texas
LB Seth Allison UCA Sr. Stuttgart, Ark.
LB Derek Rose NSU Sr. New Orleans, La.
DB Darnell Taylor SHSU Sr. Mesquite, Texas
DB Robert Alford SLU Sr. Hammond, La.
DB Dax Swanson SHSU Sr. Waco, Texas
DB Josh Aubrey SFA Sr. Tyler, Texas
DB Jestin Love UCA Jr. West Memphis, Ark.
P Matt Foster SHSU Sr. Melbourne, Australia
KR Jesse Grandy UCA Sr. Pine Bluff, Ark.
PR Jesse Grandy UCA Sr. Pine Bluff Ark.
Second Team Offense
Pos. Name Univ. Cl. Hometown
QB Brian Bell SHSU Jr. China Spring, Texas
RB Marcus Wiltz MSU Jr. Cecilia, La.
RB Jackie Hinton UCA Sr. Houston, Texas
TE Nick Scelfo NICH So. Baton Rouge, La.
WR Trey Diller SHSU Sr. Spring, Texas
WR Darius Carey MSU Sr. New Orleans, La.
WR D.J. Ward SFA Fr. The Woodlands, Texas
OL Alec Savoie MSU Sr. Lafayette, La.
OL Gasten Gabriel SLU Jr. Jackson, La.
OL Taylor Johnson MSU Sr. League City, Texas
OL Cole Caruthers UCA So. Sugar Land, Texas
OL Sean Robertson LU Sr. Copperas Cove, Texas
AP Xavier Roberson SLU Fr. Atlanta, Ga.
PK John Shaughnessy NSU Sr. Shreveport, La.
Second Team Defense
Pos. Name Univ Cl. Hometown
DL Matt Hornbuckle UCA Jr. Colleyville, Texas
DL Gary Lorance SHSU Jr. Baytown, Texas
DL Jesse Dickson LU Jr. Houston, Texas
DL Everett Ellefsen MSU So. Madisonville, La.
LB Jordan Piper NICH Sr. New Orleans, La.
LB Devan Walker SLU Sr. Baton Rouge, La.
LB Joe Narcisse MSU Sr. Vacherie, La.
DB Terence Cahee MSU Jr. Westlake, La.
DB Kenneth Jenkins SHSU Sr. Galveston, Texas
DB Bookie Sneed SHSU Jr. Conroe, Texas
DB Jamaal White NSU Sr. Garland, Texas
DB Cortez Paige NSU Sr. Houston, Texas
P Beau Mothe SLU Sr. New Orleans, La.
KR Trey Diller SHSU Sr. Spring, Texas
PR Darius Carey MSU Sr. New Orleans, La.
2 indicates two-time all-conference selection
3 indicates three-time all-cofnerence selection
Honorable Mention:
Quarterback: Brady Attaway, Stephen F. Austin. Running Back: Marcus Washington, Nicholls State; Keshawn Hill, Sam Houston State. Tight End/H-Back: Mike Brooks, Stephen F. Austin; Jeremy Meyers, Southeastern Louisiana; Corey Simmons, Northwestern State;
Chase Dixon, Central Arkansas. Wide Receiver: Kevin Johnson, Lamar;
Dezmin Lewis, Central Arkansas; Louis Hollier, Northwestern State; Erik Buchanan, Nicholls State; Tony McCrea, Southeastern Louisiana. Offensive Linemen: Warren Jones, Northwestern State; Austin Wright, Stephen F. Austin; Abasi Salimu, Nicholls State; Donald Jackson, Sam Houston State; Andrew Ratliff, Stephen F. Austin; Riley Smith, Sam Houston State; Jonathan Landry, McNeese State; Carson Chaisson, McNeese State; Ryne Chambers, Stephen F. Austin. Offensive All-Purpose: Phillip Harvey, Northwestern State; Ryan Gambel, Stephen F. Austin. Defensive Linemen: Lesley Deamer, Northwestern State; Pat Williams, McNeese State; Tramaine Lucas, Southeastern Louisiana; Jarrett Brown, Sam Houston State; John Prescott, Lamar; Wade Williams, Northwestern State. Linebacker: Ryan Epperson, Stephen F. Austin;
Justin Heard, Central Arkansas; Jermaine Longino, Lamar; Marcus Malbrough, Lamar; Kerry Guidry, Nicholls State; Patrick Black, Northwestern State; Robert Shaw, Sam Houston State; Jesse Beauchamp, Sam Houston State; Collin Garrett, Stephen F. Austin. Defensive Back: Branden Thomas, Lamar; Guy Morgan; McNeese State; Ford Smesny, McNeese State; Chad Allen, Lamar; Caleb Nelson, Stephen F. Austin; Tyler Stoddard, Southeastern Louisiana;
Dillon Winfrey, Central Arkansas; Todd Washington, Southeastern Louisiana. Placekicker: Miguel Antonio, Sam Houston State; Jordan Wiggs, Stephen F. Austin. Punter: Cory Kemps, Nicholls State. Kick Return Specialist: Kevin Johnson, Lamar; Phillip Harvey, Northwestern State.
