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MEAC Announces Preseason Grid Honors
For second straight year, coaches tab South Carolina State as favorites
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POSTED: Jul 27, 2008
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Ford was selected as the preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Cooper was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the MEAC head football coaches and sports information directors.
For the second year in a row, the South Carolina State Bulldogs were the consensus pick to win the MEAC title in 2008. The defending MEAC Champion Delaware State Hornets finished second in the preseason poll.
In being named as the team to beat in the MEAC again, Coach Buddy Pough’s team, which has finished tied for runner up in the league the last two seasons, received 272 points to 252 for Coach Al Lavan and the 2007 champion Hornets.
Norfolk State, the team that tied the Bulldogs for second in the league standings last year, was third with 216 points, followed by Hampton with 214, Morgan State 170, Florida A&M 120, Bethune-Cookman 91, Howard 85 and North Carolina A&T 35.
Ford led the Bulldogs in total rushing yards with 1,389 yards on 210 attempts and four touchdowns. He finished second in the MEAC in rushing yards per game with an average of 126.3.
Ford earned the MEAC’s Rookie of the Year honor his freshman season and was selected to the All-MEAC First Team as a sophomore.
The Bulldogs return 44 letterwinners from last season’s team. 16 starters, including nine on a defense that was second in the MEAC in fewest yards allowed (287.1 ypg), are among the returnees.
The S.C. State offense, with seven regulars back, led the league in rushing offense (264.0 ypg) and total offense (401.6 ypg).
Cooper earned the defensive player of the year honor after leading the Bison with 50 solo and 87 total tackles in 2007. He finished fifth in the league in tackles and tallied three forced fumbles, fourth best in the MEAC.
Hampton led all teams with six players on the preseason All-MEAC first team. The Pirates also had three second team selections for a total of 11. South Carolina State had 12 total selections on both teams; five were recognized on the first team.
Delaware State, Morgan State and Norfolk State had six total selections each.
MEAC 2008 Preseason Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)
1. South CarolinaState (6) 272
2, DelawareState (6) 252
3. NorfolkState (2) 216
4. Hampton (2) 214
5. Morgan State 170
6. Florida A&M 120
7. Bethune-Cookman (1) 91
8. Howard 85
9. North Carolina A&T 35
2008 Preseason All-MEAC Team
First Team
Offense
QB – TJ Mitchell (r-Jr.) Hampton
RB – William Ford (Jr.) SC State
RB – Phillip Sylvester (So.) Florida A&M
TE – Taj Jenkines (Jr.) Florida A&M
WR- Jeremy Gilchrist (r-Sr.) Hampton
WR – Jamar Johnson (r-Sr.) Norfolk State
OL – Dennis Conley (Sr.) Hampton
OL – Jamien Banks (r-Sr.) Norfolk State
OL – Devon Dawson (Jr.) SC State
OL – Dwayne Delaney (Sr.) Morgan State
C- Raymond Harrison SC State
Defense
DL-Clarence McPherson (Sr.) Morgan State
DL- Ronn Spinner (Sr.) Delaware State
DL- Dexter Jackson (Jr.) Bethune-Cookman
DL- Cedric Lloyd (Sr.) SC State
LB- Endor Cooper (Sr.) Howard
LB- Josh Pope (r-Jr.) Delaware State
LB – Jarrell Guyton (Sr.) Morgan State
LB – Vernon Wilder (r-Sr.) Florida A&M
DB – Terrell Whitehead (Jr.) Norfolk State
DB- Markee Hamlin (Jr.) SC State
DB – Sam Pope (Sr.) Hampton
DB – Chris Williams (Sr.) Morgan State
Special Teams
P – Jahmal Blanchard (Jr.) Hampton
P/K – James Meade (Sr.) MorganState
Ret.- Jeremy Gilchrist (r-Sr.) Hampton
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Will Ford, SC State
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Endor Cooper, Howard
Second Team
Offense
QB – Vashon Winton (r-Sr.) Delaware State
RB- Michael Ferguson (Sr.) North Carolina A&T
RB- Kareem Jones (Sr.) Delaware State
TE- Octavius Darby (Sr.) SC State
WR-Kevin Teel (Sr.) Hampton
WR-Oliver Young (Jr.) SC State
WR-Jeremy Wicker (r-So.) Norfolk State
OL –Anthony Collins (r-Jr.) Florida A&M
OL-Reubin Mordecai (r-Sr.) Bethune-Cookman
OL- Robert Norris (Sr.) Morgan State
OL- Michael Ola (r-So.) Hampton
OL-Adrian Brown (Sr.) DelawareState
C-Nick Richmond (r-Jr.) Delaware State
Defense
DL-Tyre Glasper (Sr.) North Carolina A&T
DL-James Simmons (Sr.) SC State
DL-Keyon Brooks (Sr.) SC State
DL-Dennis Marsh (r-Sr.) Norfolk State
LB-Andre Thornton (Jr.) North Carolina A&T
LB-Tony White (Sr.) SC State
LB-Charles Robinson (r-Sr.) Hampton
DB-Curtis Holcomb (So.) FloridaA&M
DB-Antoine Cox (Jr.) Bethune-Cookman
DB-Don Carey (Sr.) NorfolkState
DB-Brandon Colbert (Sr.) North Carolina A&T
Special Teams
P-Andre Haire (Jr.) SC State
P/K-Carlo Turavani (So.) Hampton
Ret.-Corey Council (Sr.) Bethune-Cookman
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