Nov. 23, 2010
By Jeff Honza
Southeast Missouri State Sports Information
2010 All-OVC Football Team
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri head coach Tony Samuel was named Coach of the Year and senior RB Henry Harris was named Offensive Player of the Year in the Ohio Valley Conference, the league announced Tuesday.
Southeast had a total of 10 players receive all-conference recognition, including eight with first-team honors. The Redhawks eight first-team selections are the most in a season in school history.
Samuel led the Redhawks to an overall record of 9-2 and 7-1 in the OVC during his fifth year at Southeast.
Southeast, which finished the regular-season ranked eighth in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll, clinched its first-ever OVC title and NCAA Playoff berth. The Redhawks also went undefeated at home (5-0) and reeled off nine-straight wins after their loss to Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Ball State on Sept. 2.
Southeast posted its first winning season since 2002 and third winning season since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1991. After finishing 2-9 last season, the Redhawks have recorded a 7.0-game improvement which ties for the fourth-best turnaround in FCS history (since 1978).
Samuel is the third coach to win the OVC Coach of the Year Award at Southeast and first since Tim Billings accomplished the feat in 2002.
"Our coaching staff is very good and we have worked here a long time. People tend to forget that when you start getting individual awards," said Samuel. "It's truly a team honor."
Harris, a Walter Payton Award candidate, rushed for 1,627 yards and 17 touchdowns on 285 carries in 11 starts this season. He ran for over 100 yards nine times and finished with a FCS single-game high 293 yards vs. Southwest Baptist (Nov. 6). A four-time OVC Offensive Player of the Week, Harris broke Southeast's single-season records in rushing yards, all-purpose yards (2,418), rushing attempts, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns (18).
Harris enters the postseason ranked first in the nation in all-purpose yardage (219.8 ypg), second in rushing (147.9 ypg) and fourth in scoring (9.82 ppg).
Harris, also a first-team selection, is Southeast's first OVC Offensive Player of the Year. Prior to this year, Doug Berg (DL) and Angel Rubio (DT) garnered OVC Defensive Player of the Year accolades in 1994 and 1997, respectively.
"Henry is very well-deserving of these types of accolades," added Samuel. "The thing that goes a long way is how the coaches were able to recognize the offensive line. Our offensive line, like Henry will tell you, plays a huge part in our success."
QB Matt Scheible ended the regular-season in the same spot he started it. Scheible, who was named Preseason All-OVC, threw for 1,177 yards and eight touchdowns in 11 starts. He also ran the ball 155 times for 833 yards and seven touchdowns, and threw only one interception in 167 pass attempts. Scheible is the first Southeast quarterback to garner first-team laurels.
Harris and Scheible's success this season came by way of an outstanding offensive line. Four linemen, including C Sean Middleton, G Bryan Curry, G Frank Knights and OT Evan Conrad, made the first-team.
Middleton, Knights, Curry and Conrad are part of a Redhawk offense which ranks nationally in sacks allowed (1st, 0.45/game), least yards penalized per game (1st, 31.7 ypg), third down conversion percentage (2nd, 49.7%), rushing (3rd, 271.9 ypg), fewest penalties (2nd, 4.09 per game) and fourth down conversion percentage (3rd, 73.3%).
This year marks only the second time in OVC history and first time since 1956 (Middle Tennessee) that one team had four first-team offensive line selections.
DL J.J. Sanchez and DB Tylor Brock rounded out Southeast's first-team picks.
Sanchez, a Preseason All-OVC selection, registered 45 tackles in 11 starts. He ranks third on the team in sacks (2.0) and tackles for loss (6.0).
Brock leads the OVC and ranks tied for 10th in the nation with six interceptions. He returned two of his picks for touchdowns. In addition, Brock posted 53 tackles and accumulated 174 interception return yards.
Linebackers Joshua Jackson and Justin Woodlief were Southeast's second-team honorees.
Jackson is the Redhawks leading tackler with 70 tackles, including 37 solo stops. He also has one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Meanwhile, Woodlief is tied for second on the team in tackles (64) and interceptions (4). He also has a team-high two forced fumbles and recorded double-digit tackles twice.
Southeast will travel to fifth-seeded Eastern Washington in the second round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship on Dec. 4. Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m., CT.
