SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After finishing with sole possession of third place in the Southern Conference, No. 17 Elon landed the trio of junior offensive lineman
David Harrison (Charlotte, N.C./West Mecklenburg), junior wide receiver
Terrell Hudgins (Rocky Mount, N.C./Rocky Mount) and senior place kicker
Andrew Wilcox (Richmond, Va./Hermitage) on the 2008 First Team All-Southern Conference Tuesday afternoon as selected by the league’s head football coaches.
Altogether, the Phoenix (8-4 overall, 6-2 Southern Conference) had a program-high 10 players recognized by the conference. Senior punter
Brandon Lane (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford), junior defensive lineman
Eric Ludwig (Burlington, N.C./Western Alamance), sophomore running back
Brandon Newsome (Windsor, Va./Windsor), sophomore quarterback
Scott Riddle (Ramseur, N.C./Eastern Randolph), senior linebacker
Corey Weaver (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) and junior defensive back
Walker White (Charlotte, N.C./West Mecklenburg) all earned Second Team All-Southern Conference honors while redshirt freshman linebacker
Joshua Jones (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) earned a spot on the first Southern Conference All-Freshman football team.
“The results of the coaches’ voting for the all-conference team sends a very clear message – we have built a good team and had a successful season, but we don’t have many absolute stars right now,” Elon coach Pete Lembo said. “For us to win more games, we need more players to perform consistently at a very high level. If they can accomplish this in future seasons, more postseason recognition will likely come along with it. Hopefully, several of our returning players will take note of this and decide to step up to the challenge.”
The 6-2, 300-pound Harrison anchored the Phoenix offensive line from his quick guard position, leading Elon to second in the Southern Conference and 24th in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in passing offense with 244.5 aerial yards per game this fall. The Phoenix also ranked third in the SoCon in total offense with 388.9 net yards per contest.
The 6-3, 227-pound Hudgins hauled in 86 receptions for 1,116 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2008 on his way to receiving First Team All-Southern Conference accolades from the league's coaches for the second consecutive season. He was chosen as a Second Team All-SoCon honoree as a redshirt freshman by the conference coaches in 2006. Hudgins became the Elon and SoCon all-time career leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions this year.
The 6-2, 232-pound Wilcox led both the Southern Conference and the FCS in field goals in 2008, making 1.8 per game. He also ranked third in the league and 15th in the country in scoring with 8.3 points per contest en route to earning SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week accolades three times this season. Wilcox was the coaches’ Second Team All-SoCon place kicker in 2006, but did not earn all-league status in 2007. He converted 33 of his 37 PAT kicks and 22 of his 27 field goal attempts on his way to piling up 99 points in 2008. Wilcox also booted 68 kickoffs for a 59.2-yard average this season.
Lane (a league-best 41.5 yards per punt), Ludwig (36 tackles, 7.0 TFL, two fumble recoveries), Newsome (a team-best 77.6 rushing yards per game with two touchdowns), Riddle (239.2 passing yards per game with 24 touchdowns), Weaver (67 tackles, 5.5 TFL, one forced fumble), White (47 tackles) and Jones (68 tackles, 7.0 TFL) also put up big numbers for the Phoenix in 2008.
Elon All-Time Football Selections for
All-Southern Conference (Coaches)
2003 – Brandon Mason, C (First Team)
2004 – Brandon Mason, C (First Team)
2004 – Calvin Sutton, LB (First Team)
2004 – John Taylor, RB (First Team)
2004 – Chad Nkang, LB (Second Team)
2005 – Chad Nkang, LB (First Team)
2005 – Dwayne Ijames, DB & RS (Second Team)
2006 – Chad Nkang, LB (First Team)
2006 – Terrell Hudgins, WR (Second Team)
2006 – Brandon Lane, P (Second Team)
2006 – Andrew Wilcox, PK (Second Team)
2007 – Terrell Hudgins, WR (First Team)
2007 – Brandon Lane, P (First Team)
2007 – Michael Mayers (RS First Team & WR Second Team)
2007 – Corey Weaver, LB (First Team)
2008 – David Harrison, OL (First Team)
2008 – Terrell Hudgins, WR (First Team)
2008 – Andrew Wilcox, PK (First Team)
2008 – Brandon Lane, P (Second Team)
2008 – Eric Ludwig, DL (Second Team)
2008 – Brandon Newsome, RB (Second Team)
2008 – Scott Riddle, QB (Second Team)
2008 – Corey Weaver, LB (Second Team)
2008 – Walker White, DB (Second Team)
2008 – Joshua Jones, LB (Freshman)
Elon All-Time Football Selections for
Southern Conference Annual Awards (Coaches)
2005 – Chad Nkang, Defensive Player of the Year
2007 – Pete Lembo, Coach of the Year
2007 – Scott Riddle, Freshman of the Year
–ELON–