Jan. 7, 2009

THIBODAUX, La. - Senior Lardarius Webb's national honors keep coming as The Sports Network named him a First Team All-American as a safety, and dubbed him with Honorable Mention recognition as a kickoff return specialist.

The two accolades give him 37 total awards for his two-year career at Nicholls, which includes eight All-American teams by various news organizations.

"Lardarius is a very talented and gifted athlete, and we are all so very happy for him to have been recognized for his athletic ability on a national level the past two seasons," said Head Coach Jay Thomas.

Webb is one of eight players from the Southland Conference to be named to The Sports Network's All-American Teams, and is the only representative from Nicholls on the 2008 squad. Webb is also the only student-athlete in the league to be named to the first team on defense.

The Opelika, Ala. native Webb tallied 55 total tackles from the safety position that included seven pass breakups, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions and one forced fumble. Webb also doubled as a return specialist, retuning 10 punts for 152 yards and a touchdown and taking back 16 kickoff returns for 472 yards and a score before opponents stopped kicking to him.

He was also a four-time SLC Player of the Week, with three of those awards coming on Special Teams. His only Defensive Player of the Week award came after the Colonels defeated No.11 McNeese State, 38-35, in Lake Charles, La. In the win, Webb racked up six tackles, all solo, that included one for a loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He also had two pass breakups in the win.

The complete release is below.

2008 TSN All-America team highlighted by Edwards and Peach

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Walter Payton Award winner Armanti Edwards and Buck Buchanan Award recipient Greg Peach head up the 2008 Sports Network All-America team released on Tuesday.

Edwards, the record-setting junior quarterback from Appalachian State, was joined on the first team by two ASU teammates, free safety Mark LeGree and middle linebacker Jacque Roman, matching Hampton for the most first-team picks. A total of 92 players were honored on the three teams.

Peach, the senior defensive end who led FCS in sacks (18) and tackles for loss (22.5), was one of four Big Sky Conference performers chosen to the first team. The Big Sky led all leagues with 17 selections to the three teams, while the Colonial Athletic Association picked up 13 and the Southern Conference had 11 players chosen.

Weber State didn't manage to get a first-team pick, but led overall with seven players on the three teams. Running back Trevyn Smith and wide receiver Tim Toone were second-team honorees, while five Wildcats were selected to the third team, tackle Paul Carpenter, safety Beau Hadley, quarterback Cameron Higgins, tight end Cody Nakamura and defensive tackle Bryce Scanlon. Two other Wildcats were honorable mention.

Overall, Appalachian State had five players on the three teams, with cornerback Cortez Gilbert earning second-team honors and linebacker Pierre Banks getting third-team recognition. The Mountaineers had three more players named honorable mention, Hampton landed defensive tackle Chris Baker, kickoff returner Kevin Teel and punt returner Jeremy Gilchrist on the first team.

Montana received four spots, with safety Colt Anderson and guard Colin Dow making the first team, while receiver Marc Mariani and tackle Brent Russum were second-team selections.

Central Arkansas, James Madison, Southern Illinois and Western Illinois each earned three spots on the three teams, while 17 other teams had two players selected. Altogether, 46 teams had players on the squad and all 14 FCS conferences were represented.

Wide receiver Ramses Barden of Cal Poly, punt returner Jeremy Gilchrist and safety Lardarius Webb of Nicholls State were the only players to repeat as first-team selections from 2007.

A total of 14 other players who selected to the second and third teams in 2007 were named to one of the three squads again in 2008, led by Edwards.

Others to repeat included Banks, defensive end Jovan Belcher of Maine, linebacker Zach East of Prairie View, guard Stephen Field of Cal Poly, safety Brandon Gathof of Eastern Kentucky, cornerback K.J. Gerard of Northern Arizona, receiver Terrell Hudgins of Elon, guard Matthew McCracken of Richmond, receiver Andre Roberts of The Citadel, tight end Scott Sicko of New Hampshire, safety Terrell Whitehead of Norfolk State and linebacker Jason Williams of Western Illinois.

2008 SPORTS NETWORK ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM

Offense
Pos Player School Class
QB Armanti Edwards Appalachian State Junior
RB Herb Donaldson Western Illinois Senior
RB Rashad Jennings Liberty Senior
FB Dane Romero Wofford Senior
WR Ramses Barden Cal Poly Senior
WR John Matthews San Diego Senior
WR Andre Roberts The Citadel Junior
TE Marquez Branson Central Arkansas Senior
T Joel Bell Furman Senior
T Nick Hennessey Colgate Senior
G Colin Dow Montana Senior
G Matthew McCracken Richmond Junior
C Scott Lemn James Madison Senior

Defense
Pos Player School Class
DE Jovan Belcher Maine Senior
DE Greg Peach Eastern Washington Senior
DT Chris Baker Hampton Junior
DT John Faletoese UC Davis Senior
LB Zach East Prairie View Senior
LB Jacque Roman Appalachian State Junior
LB Jason Williams Western Illinois Senior
LB Nathan Williams Murray State Senior
CB K.J. Gerard Northern Arizona Senior
CB William Middleton Furman Senior
S Colt Anderson Montana Senior
S Mark LeGree Appalachian State Sophomore
S Lardarius Webb Nicholls State Senior

Special Teams
Pos Player School Class
PK Taylor Long Eastern Kentucky Senior
P Brett Arnold Massachusetts Senior
KR Kevin Teel Hampton Senior
PR Jeremy Gilchrist Hampton Senior

2008 SPORTS NETWORK ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM

Offense
Pos Player School Class
QB Rodney Landers James Madison Senior
RB William Ford South Carolina State Junior
RB Trevyn Smith Weber State Junior
FB Jared Turcotte Maine Freshman
WR Terrell Hudgins Elon Junior
WR Marc Mariani Montana Junior
WR Tim Toone Weber State Junior
TE Scott Sicko New Hampshire Junior
T Cornelius Lewis Tennessee State Senior
T Brent Russum Montana Senior
G Stephen Field Cal Poly Senior
G Aaron Lockwood Southern Illinois Senior
C Raymond Harrison South Carolina State Senior

Defense
Pos Player School Class
DE Larry Hart Central Arkansas Junior
DE Lawrence Sidbury Richmond Senior
DT Melvin Matthews Grambling Senior
DT Everette Pedescleaux Northern Iowa Senior
LB Bobby Abare Yale Senior
LB Andy Romans Lafayette Senior
LB Cristian Sarmento Northern Colorado Senior
LB Andy Schantz Portland State Senior
CB Cortez Gilbert Appalachian State Junior
CB Domonique Johnson Jackson State Senior
S Tommy Connors Southeastern Louisiana Junior
S Marcus Haywood James Madison Senior
S Jeromy Miles Massachusetts Junior

Special Teams
Pos Player School Class
PK Andrew Wilcox Elon Senior
P Robbie Dehaze Northern Arizona Senior
KR Leroy Vann Florida A&M Junior
PR Scotty McGee James Madison Junior

2008 SPORTS NETWORK ALL-AMERICA THIRD TEAM

Offense
Pos Player School Class
QB *Nathan Brown Central Arkansas Senior
QB *Cameron Higgins Weber State Sophomore
RB David McCarty Albany Junior
RB Josh Vaughan Richmond Senior
FB Dre Gibbs Western Illinois Junior
WR Dominique Edison Stephen F. Austin Senior
WR Cameron Luke Texas State Senior
WR Tony Washington Sacramento State Senior
TE Cody Nakamura Weber State Junior
T Paul Carpenter Weber State Senior
T James Williams Harvard Junior
G Jonathan Compas UC Davis Senior
G Eman Naghavi McNeese State Senior
C Cecil Newton Tennessee State Senior

Defense
Pos Player School Class
DE Greg Miller Villanova Senior
DE James Ruffin Northern Iowa Junior
DT Kyle Hawari Yale Senior
DT Bryce Scanlon Weber State Senior
LB Pierre Banks Appalachian State Senior
LB Endor Cooper Howard Senior
LB Marcellus Speaks Jackson State Senior
LB Jeffrey Williams Gardner-Webb Sophomore
CB *Andrew Berry Harvard Senior
CB Korey Lindsey Southern Illinois Junior
CB *Chris Wynn Penn Senior
S Brandon Gathof Eastern Kentucky Senior
S Beau Hadley Weber State Junior
S Terrell Whitehead Norfolk State Junior

Special Teams
Pos Player School Class
PK Andrew Samson Penn Sophomore
P Doug Spada Southeast Missouri St Junior
KR Larry Warner Southern Illinois Senior
PR Dominic Bolden Liberty Senior

* - Cameron Higgins and Nathan Brown and Andrew Berry and Chris Wynn tied with the same number of votes.

HONORABLE MENTION
Quarterbacks: Cole Bergquist, Montana; Ryan Berry, South Dakota State; Jonathan Dally, Cal Poly; Chris Pizzotti, Harvard; Dominic Randolph, Holy Cross. Running Backs: Karrington Bush, Texas State; Corey Lewis, Northern Iowa; Toddrick Penland, McNeese State; Chase Reynolds, Montana; David Sinisi, Monmouth; Jordan Scott, Colgate; Jarvarris Williams, Tennessee State.

Fullbacks: John Crone, Richmond; Jhamal Fluellen, Maine; Jon Hall, Cal Poly; Marcus Mailei, Weber State; Contrevious Parks, Stephen F. Austin.

Wide Receivers: Michael Boyle, New Hampshire; Dobson Collins, Gardner-Webb; JaRon Harris, South Dakota State; Tysson Poots, Southern Utah.

Tight Ends: Abner Brown, Mississippi Valley State; Octavius Darby, South Carolina State; Clay Harbor, Missouri State; Ben Jorden, Appalachian State. Tackles: Izzy Bauta, Villanova; Vladamir Ducasse, Massachusetts; Ben Ijalana, Villanova; Kyle Link, McNeese State; Raphael Nguti, Albany; Michael Silva, Richmond; Derek Wooten, Wofford.

Guards: Mario Acitelli, Appalachian State; Jeff Bowen, Texas State; Dorian Brooks, James Madison; Dennis Conley, Hampton; Jeff Hansen, Montana State; Chaz Millard, Eastern Illinois.

Centers: Ryan Canary, Maine; Mike Godsil, Liberty; Zach Harrington, North Dakota State; Kheon Hendricks, Delaware; Tommy Hernandez, UC Davis; J.D. Quinn, Montana; Brad Samsa, Youngstown State; Austin Steichen, Northern Iowa, Jonathan St. Pierre, Illinois State.

Place Kickers: Robbie Dehaze, Northern Arizona; Andrew Ireland, Texas State; Billy Halgren, Northern Iowa; Jeremy Licea, Alabama A&M; Davis Rodriguez, Lafayette; Dave Stannard, James Madison; Robert Weeks, Northwestern State.

Punters: Jason Leo, Lehigh; Derrick Raymer, Sam Houston State; Brian Scullin, Dartmouth; Trevor Ward, Southern Utah.

Kickoff Returners: Jonathan Grimes, William & Mary; A.J. Kizekai, Bucknell; Scotty McGee, James Madison; Lardarius Webb, Nicholls State.

Punt Returners: Elliott Finkley, Jacksonville; Austin Knowlin, Columbia; Marc Mariani, Montana; William Osborne, Texas Southern; Andre Roberts, The Citadel.

Defensive Ends: Lardarius Anthony, Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Marcus Benard, Jackson State; Tim Knicky, Stephen F. Austin; Kevin Linehan, Weber State; Sherman Logan, Richmond; Adrian Tracy, William & Mary; Dakota Walker, Georgia Southern; Pierre Walters, Eastern Illinois; Scott Vossler, Dayton.

Defensive Tackles: Austin Curtis, Southern Utah; Matt Curtis, Harvard; Brian Jackson, Lehigh; Tom Pandolf, Albany; Ray Williams, Tennessee-Martin.

Linebackers: Chris Covington, Georgia Southern; Bobby Daly, Montana State; Tim Diamond, Lehigh; Seth Goldwire, Wofford; Jarrell Guyton, Morgan State; De'Veon Harris, Northern Iowa; Scott Lewis, Saint Francis; Cyrus Mulitalo, Sacramento State; Osayi Osunde, Villanova; Lee Robinson, Alcorn State.

Cornerbacks: Jeffrey Jack, Grambling; Josh Morris, Weber State; Courtney Robinson, Massachusetts; Justin Rogers, Richmond.

Safeties: Carnell Clark, Jacksonville State; Max Lerner, Furman; Dontrell Miller, Tennessee-Martin

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