Jeff Howard, Courage Idemudia, Ty Touchstone Are Selected for LSC South All-Academic Team
Greyhounds Lead LSC South with 10 Players Named to Commissioner's Honor Roll

PORTALES, NM - The Eastern New Mexico University football team placed three players on the LSC South All-Academic Team in voting by the LSC South sports information directors. ENMU led all LSC South teams with 10 players on the LSC South Commissioner's Honor Roll. The ENMU players selected for the LSC South All-Academic Team were junior linebacker Jeff Howard (6'2", 230 lbs., Portales, NM/Portales HS), junior linebacker Courage Idemudia (6'0", 200 lbs., Glenn Heights, TX/DeSoto HS) and junior free safety Ty Touchstone (5'11", 180 lbs., Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS).

The LSC South Commissioner's Honor Roll included Eastern's three players selected to the All-Academic Team, plus seven additional players from ENMU. The closest team to Eastern in selections to the LSC South Commissioner's Honor Roll was West Texas A&M University, with six players overall. On the field, ENMU was 6-5 overall for the Greyhounds' sixth straight winning season. Eastern was 2-4 in the LSC South.

Student-athletes qualified for the Commissioner's Honor Roll by earning at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, with at least 24 semester hours at their current college or university. The LSC South sports information directors chose the All-Academic Team based on the academic and athletic success of players who qualified for the Commissioner's Honor Roll.

LSC South All-Academic Team

Howard was named First Team All-LSC South this season, after leading the Greyhounds with 85 total tackles. He also led the team in assisted tackles (46) and in tackles for losses (14). He tied for the team lead with two fumble recoveries, and was credited with two pass break-ups, two hurries and one forced fumble. In three seasons at ENMU, he has recorded 133 tackles, with 68 unassisted stops. Howard was named LSC South Defensive Player-of-the-Week for his efforts in ENMU's 10-3 win over Texas A&M University-Commerce on Oct. 14, when he recorded seven tackles, and recovered a fumble in the end zone to complete a goal line stand. He qualified for the LSC South Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2002. He is a Biology major (Pre-Medicine) with a 3.68 GPA.

Touchstone has been successful both on the field and in the classroom. He registered 66 tackles this season (41 solo tackles) to rank second on the ENMU squad. He earned one tackle for a loss, broke up one pass, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Touchstone has achieved 212 career tackles, with 134 unassisted tackles, five tackles for losses, six passes broken up, and five interceptions. He earned First Team All-LSC South honors last season. He was named Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-America and First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District VI in 2002. He has been named First Team Academic All-District VI again this season. He now has been voted to the LSC South All-Academic Team twice, including the 2002 season. He owns a perfect 4.0 GPA and is majoring in Business Administration.

Idemudia registered 54 total tackles to rank fourth on the ENMU defense. He had 33 solo tackles, provided seven tackles for losses (29 yards) and earned 2.0 sacks (18 yards). He forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass. He finished the year with career totals of 100 tackles (75 unassisted), 15 tackles for losses (64 yards) and 4.0 sacks (42 yards). He has recovered three fumbles and caused four fumbles during his career. Idemudia was chosen First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District VI in 2002. He was /named LSC South Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2002. He was an Honorable Mention All-LSC South selection this fall. He is majoring in Accounting and has a 3.56 GPA.

LSC South Commissioner's Honor Roll

Eastern's three players on the LSC South All-Academic Team were included on the LSC South Commissioner's Honor Roll. They were joined on the Commissioner's Honor Roll by the following players: B.J. Biggar (Jr., DE, 6'3", 245 lbs., Odessa, TX/Permian HS), Wayne Childs (Sr., DE, 6'4", 260 lbs., Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS), Fide Davalos (Fr., RB, 6'0", 185 lbs., Portales, NM/Floyd HS), Eric Mims (Sr., CB, 6'0", 175 lbs., Amarillo, TX/Palo Duro HS), Tyson Rush (So., OG, 6'6", 308 lbs., Truth or Consequences, NM/Hot Springs HS), Artemus Tennison (So., TE, 6'1", 208 lbs., Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS) and Theo Watson (So., SS, 5'11", 185 lbs., Littlefield, TX/Littlefield HS).

Biggar was named Honorable Mention All-LSC South in 2001 and 2003. His excellent pass rushing skills have allowed him to earn 9.0 sacks for 62 yards in losses during his career. This year, he achieved 3.0 sacks for 20 yards lost, while earning 34 tackles (23 solo) and seven tackles for losses (35 yards). He has registered 90 total tackles, including 62 unassisted stops, during his career. Biggar and the ENMU defense held opponents to 288.2 yards of total offense per game in 2003 to rank second in the LSC. Biggar was named Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-District VI this fall. He previously qualified for the Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2001. He is majoring in Business Administration and has a 3.22 GPA.

Childs contributed 29 tackles this year, including 16 unassisted tackles and five tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He produced 1.5 quarterback sacks. He also forced one fumble and broke up one pass. He finished his ENMU career with 73 career tackles (44 unassisted), as well as 16 tackles for losses, 4.5 sacks and one interception. Childs was named Honorable Mention All-LSC South in 2002. He also was named to the LSC South Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2002. He has achieved a 3.37 GPA while majoring in History at ENMU.

Davalos carried the ball 29 times for 79 yards as a redshirt freshman running back this season. He also caught six passes for 69 yards. Davalos previously was a standout player for the six-man football team at Floyd High School. He led Floyd to a State Championship in 2001 and was named State MVP the same season. Davalos is majoring in Biology with a 3.55 GPA.

Mims recorded 18 tackles for the Greyhounds this season. He also broke up four passes. He has achieved 76 career tackles and 14 career pass break-ups. Mims was named LSC South Freshman-of-the-Year in 2000. He was chosen CoSIDA Academic All-District VI in 2001 and previously earned spots on the LSC South Commissioner's Honor Rollin 2001 and 2002. He is a Physical Education major and owns a 3.23 GPA.

Rush contributed in the offensive line all season, including several starts. His efforts helped ENMU amassed 3,882 total yards (352.9 yards per game), including 2,620 rushing yards (238.2 yards per game). The offensive line also contributed to Eastern'sbacks and receivers scoring 22 rushing touchdowns and nine passing touchdowns. Rush and other ENMU linemen led the way for Eastern to average 33:18 for time of possession per game, an average that ranked first in the LSC. He is a Mathematics major with a 3.67 GPA.

Tennison started all 22 games the past two seasons. He has provided the Greyhounds with outstanding blocking, and has helped Eastern rank first in the LSC in rushing each of the past two years. The Hounds averaged 289.8 rushing yards per game in 2002 and gained 238.2 rushing yards per game in 2003. Tennison has gained 270 yards and scored four touchdowns on just 12 career receptions in two years at ENMU. He scored twice against Texas A&M-Commerce in 2002 and grabbed two TD passes againstAngelo State in 2003. He was named Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-District VI this year. He is majoring in Accounting and owns a 3.25 GPA.

Watson registered 39 ttoal tackles this season to rank eighth on the team despite playing as a back-up at the strong safety position. He provided many solid hits, and also broke up two passes, recorded two quarterback hurries on blitzes and recovered one fumble. Watson has contributed 63 career tackles in just two seasons at ENMU. He wasnamed to the LSC South Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2002. He is majoring in Medical Technologies with a 3.41 GPA.