University of Houston Athletics
Twelve from Houston Receive American Honors
12/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
HOUSTON - An American Athletic Conference-leading 12 players from the Houston Football program, including all four captains, received all-conference honors as Houston head coach Tom Herman was named The American's Co-Coach of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.
Demarcus Ayers received two first-team honors, as both a receiver and return specialist, and was joined on the league's first team by linebacker Elandon Roberts and safety Trevon Stewart.
Houston placed seven players on the league's second team as offensive tackle Alex Cooper, quarterback Greg Ward Jr., running back Kenneth Farrow, defensive lineman B.J. Singleton, linebacker Steven Taylor, cornerback William Jackson III and safety Adrian McDonald were all named to the team.
True freshman center Will Noble received honorable mention honors from the league.
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Herman was named the league's co-coach of the year with Navy's Ken Niumatalolo after leading Houston to its fourth 11-win season in program history and becoming just the fifth coach in FBS history to start a career with 10 consecutive wins. With a win Saturday, Herman would join Kevin Sumlin as the only coach in Houston history with 12 wins in a season. Under Herman's leadership, Houston is second in the nation with seven wins of 21 points or more.
Ranking second in The American with 89 receptions for 1,140 yards with six touchdowns, Ayers is sixth nationally with his 89 receptions while also adding 19 rushing attempts for 130 yards and one touchdown along with one pass for a 29-yard touchdown. Ayers had four 100-yard receiving games on the year including a career-high 161 yards receiving in Houston's win over Navy.
Ayers was also named the league's first-team return specialist as he led the league with 277 punt return yards off 23 returns for an average of 12.0 yards return, a number that ranks 19th nationally. He is one of two players in The American with a punt return touchdown this season, breaking off a 73-yard return vs. Tulane.
The two honors Wednesday give the junior four for his career as he was named the league's 2013 Co-Special Teams Player of the Year and named to the first team in 2013 as a return specialist.
The American's leading tackler despite missing 54 minutes of one game, Roberts leads the league with 127 tackles and 17 tackles for loss. The captain's 84 solo tackles are second nationally while his 127 total tackles are seventh nationally. He has six sacks on the year, ranking seventh in The American, and picked off his first career pass vs. Memphis while also breaking up four passes on the year and forcing one fumble.
Stewart has been spotted all over the field this season for the Houston defense, ranking seventh in the league with six sacks, part of his 9.5 tackles for loss on the year, while picking off two passes and recovering two fumbles. Stewart also has a forced fumble and a pass breakup on the year while recording Houston's lone safety, sacking Cincinnati's Gunner Kiel for two points.
Wednesday's honor is the second in Stewart's career, having earned second-team honors in 2013.
An offensive captain, Cooper has started 25 straight games across the Houston offensive line and has started at three different positions (LT, RG, RT) along a line that has seen nine different starting combinations this season due to injuries. Despite the ever-changing rotation, Cooper and his line mates lead a Houston team that is 14th nationally in rushing offense at 240.1 yards per game. Houston's leader along the line with 892 snaps, Cooper has not allowed a single sack this season and just eight quarterback pressures.
Singleton has started all 12 games this season at defensive tackle, part of 23 career games started for the junior. He has 17 tackles on the year, including two for a loss and one sack with three pass breakups, but has made his presence known even more by occupying multiple blockers throughout the year in Houston's 3-4 defensive scheme. Singleton's selfless play, and that of the defensive line, has allowed Houston's starting linebackers to combine for 294 tackles, 39.5 tackles for loss and 20 sacks. Singleton leads the Houston defensive line this season with 15 knockbacks and 11 two-fers, taking on two offensive linemen on the same play.
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Ward leads The American in points responsible for with 16 passing touchdowns and 17 rushing touchdowns, a total that is second in the league and eighth nationally. Ward ranks in the top 15 in six of the NCAA's recognized stat categories: completion percentage (5th), passing efficiency (13th), points responsible for (12th), points responsible for per game (14th), rushing TDs (8th) and yards per pass attempt (15th). The electrifying Ward is eighth nationally with 14 rushing attempts of at least 20 yards and eight rushing attempts of at least 30 yards. Both numbers lead all FBS quarterbacks.
Farrow ranks third among running backs in The American in rushing yards with 949, despite missing Houston's game vs. Navy and is just 51 yards away from becoming just the third player in Houston history with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons. His 12 rushing touchdowns this season is eighth-best in Houston single-season history while his 34 career rushing touchdowns is second all-time at Houston. Farrow has also added 10 receptions for 199 yards this season.
Wednesday's honor is Farrow's second career league honor as the three-time Houston captain was named to the 2014 American second team.
Taylor is one of Houston's starting linebackers benefitting from the play of the UH defensive line, leading The American with eight sacks. The junior is second on the team behind Roberts with 80 tackles and 15 tackles for loss, the third-best total in the league. A nuisance in the backfield, Taylor also has 11 quarterback hurries to go along with two interceptions, three pass breakups and one forced fumble. Taylor also blocked Louisville's attempt at a game-tying field goal as Houston defeated the Cardinals, 34-31, in the season's second week.
The league's leader in passes broken up with 14 despite missing the Memphis game with an injury, Jackson has also added three interceptions from his corner role, returning two for touchdowns. The senior also has one fumble recovery on the year, returned 13 yards vs. Texas State.
Wednesday's honor is the second career league honor for Jackson was named to the league's second team in 2014.
Houston's fourth captain on the team, McDonald is third in The American with four interceptions and third on the Houston team with 79 tackles. The safety has 2.5 tackles for loss including 1.5 sacks and has also recovered two fumbles on the year. The Lawton, Okla., native has added two forced fumbles while breaking up two passes.
The announcement on Wednesday marked the second straight year for McDonald to receive postseason honors from the league, having been named to The American's first team in 2014.
A true freshman, Noble ripped off his redshirt in the sixth game of the season, Houston's win at Tulane, and never looked back, starting six straight games at center. Commanding the center of a line that has seen nine different starting combinations, Noble has helped lead a unit that ranks 14th nationally in rushing offense at 240.1 yards per game. Playing 504 snaps on the year, Noble led the Houston offensive line with an 85 percent grade.
No. 17/18/19 Houston hosts No. 20/21/22 Temple this Saturday at 11 a.m. in the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship at TDECU Stadium.
