University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Five Collect Preseason All-SBC Accolades, Cajuns Picked Third
7/16/2012 9:52:00 AM | Football
Contact: Brian McCann
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Five Ragin' Cajuns players were named to the 2012 preseason All-Sun Belt football team and Louisiana was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference this season in the preseason poll in announcements made in connection with the 2012 Sun Belt Football Media Day, which was held on Monday.
Seniors Brett Baer (Brandon, Miss.), Leonardo Bates (New Orleans, La./L.W. Higgins), Javone Lawson (New Orleans, La./Helen Cox) and Melvin White (Freeport, Texas/Brazosport) plus sophomore Alonzo Harris (Gadsden, Ala./Gadsden City) were each named to the 26-player preseason team in a balloting of the league's head coaches and select media.
The Cajuns, who tied the school record for wins with a 9-4 record last year and finished third in the Sun Belt with a 6-2 record, received two first place votes and 81 total points in the balloting of the league's head coaches.
FIU was tabbed the league favorite with five first place votes and 92 points with Arkansas State finishing second with 85 points and two first place votes. The Cajuns were third, well ahead of fourth place Western Kentucky (70 points), who received the final first place vote. Troy was fifth (60) followed by Louisiana-Monroe in sixth (47), Middle Tennessee in seventh (42), North Texas in eighth (36), Florida Atlantic in ninth (23) and South Alabama in 10th (23).
“Being picked to finish third shows how far this program has come in a year and the amount of respect we have gained around the conference,” UL head coach Mark Hudspeth said. “It's not where you start, it is where you finish. We have a lot of work to do if we are going to meet our team goal of winning the Sun Belt championship.”
The third place selection is the highest by a UL squad since being picked to win the crown in 2006, the season after the Cajuns won their most-recent title.
The five UL players on the pre-season team are the second-highest total.
“I am excited about our players who represent our program on the all-league team. They are deserving of every honor they get,” Hudspeth said. “We are going to rely on these guys if we are going to have the kind of success that we expect. They will need to continue to step up and lead us this year.”
Baer, a 5-11, 182-pound kicker and punter, earns a spot on the team as a kicker. He was a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award after going 18-for-20 in field goal attempts and 46-for-50 on PAT efforts in 2011. He earned second team All-Sun Belt honors as both a kicker and punter and second team All-Louisiana by the LSWA while being tabbed the team's special teams MVP.
Baer, who led the nation in field goal accuracy in 2011, owns a career field goal percentage of .926 (25-27) and would rank among all-time NCAA leaders but is short of the required minimum of 45 attempts (record is 43-49, .878 by Bobby Raymond, Florida, 1983-84).
Bates, a 6-5, 296-pound left tackle, received second team All-Sun Belt honors last year after starting all 13 games for the Cajuns last season. He played 887 of the team's 936 offensive snaps, ranking fourth with 19 knockdown blocks. He moved to tackle after primarily being used as a guard in 2010.
Lawson, a 6-1, 183-pound wide receiver, was named first team All-Sun Belt and was a second team All-Louisiana by the LSWA as a junior after ranking second in the league (and 32nd nationally) in receiving yards (1,092) and touchdowns (8), fifth in receptions (63) and eighth in all-purpose yards (1,359).
Lawson grabbed 63 passes for 1,092 yards and eight TDs to post just the fifth 1,000-yard receiving season in school history. He capped off the campaign with nine catches for 193 yards and two TDs vs. San Diego State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
White, a 6-3, 191-pound cornerback, was an honorable mention All-Sun Belt pick after finishing seventh on the team with 64 tackles last season (50 solo). He started all 13 games at safety, finishing third on the team with 8.5 tackles-for-loss (-30 yards) and adding two interceptions for 101 yards and a touchdown, seven pass breakups and one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
A big-play defender, he returned a blocked field goal 68 yards for a score vs. Nicholls State last year — the third-longest return of a blocked kick in school history. He also brought back an interception 89 yards for a touchdown vs. Troy, the third-longest return in school history.
The Ragin' Cajuns will report for preseason camp on Aug. 1 with the first on-field practice scheduled for Aug. 2. UL will open the 2012 season at home against Lamar on Saturday, Sept. 1 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in Cajun Field.
Tickets in the 31,000 seat Cajun Field should be at a premium this fall after the Ragin' Cajuns averaged a school-record 29,171 fans last year, leading the nation with an increase of 11,788 fans per game.
Season tickets are available by visiting the Ragin' Cajuns Ticket Central online at RaginCajuns.com or by calling (337) 851-2011. Ticket prices start at just $96 with a special Family 5 Pak featuring lower bowl seating being available for $330.
2012 Preseason Sun Belt Poll
As voted on by the league's 10 head coaches
School (1st Place) Points
1. FIU (5) 92
2. Arkansas State (2) 85
3. Louisiana (2) 81
4. WKU (1) 70
5. Troy 60
6. Louisiana-Monroe 47
7. Middle Tennessee 42
8. North Texas 36
9. Florida Atlantic 23
10. South Alabama 14
2012 Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
As voted on by the head coaches and selected media members.
Offense
Ryan Aplin (Arkansas State, Sr., QB)
Kedrick Rhodes (FIU, Jr., RB)
Alonzo Harris (Louisiana, So., RB)
Josh Jarboe (Arkansas State, Sr., WR)
Javone Lawson (Louisiana, Sr., WR)
Eric Thomas (Troy, Jr., WR)
Jack Doyle (WKU, Sr., TE)
Zack McKnight (Arkansas State, Sr., OL)
Rupert Bryan (FIU, Sr., OL)
Caylin Hauptmann (FIU, Sr., OL)
Leonardo Bates (Louisiana, Sr., OL)
Cyril Lemon (North Texas, So., OL)
Defense
Isame Faciane (FIU, Jr., DL)
Tourek Williams (FIU, Sr., DL)
Tony Davis (Troy, Sr., DL)
Quanterus Smith (WKU, Sr., DL)
Winston Fraser (FIU, r-Sr., LB)
Kanorris Davis (Troy, Sr., LB)
Andrew Jackson (WKU, Jr., LB)
Don Jones (Arkansas State, Sr., DB)
Jonathan Cyprien (FIU, Sr., DB)
Melvin White (Louisiana, Sr., DB)
Brynden Trawick (Troy, Sr., DB)
Special Teams
Brett Baer (Louisiana, Sr. PK)
Will Atterberry (North Texas, Sr., P)
John Evans (WKU, So., Return Specialist)
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
