Five ENMU Football Players Selected for
2004 LSC South All-Academic Team
Touchstone Chosen Academic Player of the Year

PORTALES, N.M. — The Eastern New Mexico University football team placed five players on the 2004 Lone Star Conference South Division All-Academic Team, including the Academic Player of the Year, in voting by the LSC South sports information directors. ENMU led all LSC South teams with its five All-Academic selections, and also led the division with 12 players named to the LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

ENMU players named to the LSC South All-Academic Team were senior defensive end B.J. Biggar (6’3”, 256 lbs., Kemp, TX/Kemp HS), senior linebacker Jeff Howard (6’2”, 220 lbs., Portales, NM/Portales HS), senior linebacker Courage Idemudia (5’11”, 200 lbs., Glenn Heights, TX/DeSoto HS), junior offensive guard Tyson Rush (6’6”, 310 lbs., Williamsburg, NM/Hot Springs HS) and senior free safety Ty Touchstone (5’11”, 190 lbs., Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS). Touchstone was named LSC South Academic Player of the Year.

The LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll included Eastern’s five All-Academic selections, plus seven additional players from ENMU. The closest team to Eastern’s 12 selections on the Honor Roll was West Texas A&M with seven players overall.

ENMU players named to the Honor Roll, but not chosen for the LSC South All-Academic Team, were sophomore tight end Price Carter (6’1”, 215 lbs., Fort Sumner, NM/Fort Sumner HS), redshirt freshman defensive tackle Reggie Ellis (6’1”, 270 lbs., Irving, TX/R.L. Turner HS), redshirt freshman running back Zach Gerleve (6’1”, 180 lbs., Truth or Consequences, NM/Hot Springs HS), redshirt freshman defensive end Jorge Melendez (6’2”, 235 lbs., Las Cruces, NM/Onate HS), sophomore linebacker Jeremy Mullins (5’10”, 225 lbs., Merkel, TX/Merkel HS), redshirt freshman offensive guard Landon Schumacher (6’7”, 238 lbs., Plainview, TX/Lockney HS) and senior linebacker Theo Watson (6’0”, 205 lbs., Littlefield, TX/Littlefield HS). Eastern New Mexico University completed the season with a 6-5 overall record, including 4-2 (3rd place) in the LSC South. It was the Greyhounds’ seventh consecutive winning season.

Student-athletes qualified for the LSC South 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 upon the academic and athletic success of players who qualified for the Honor Roll.

LSC South All-Academic Team

Biggar was named to the LSC South All-Academic Team for the first time. It was his third time on the LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll (2001, 2003, 2004). He was named First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI this fall, after earning Second Team Academic All-District honors in 2003. He is majoring in Business Administration at ENMU, and owns a 3.32 GPA.

On the field, Biggar earned 126 total tackles during his ENMU career, including 83 unassisted tackles. He achieved 32 tackles for losses (146 yards lost) and 14.0 quarterback sacks (101 yards lost). He broke up eight passes, while forcing four fumbles and recovering three fumbles.

He was named Second Team All-LSC South this season, and earned Honorable Mention All-LSC South recognition in 2001 and 2003. He played in all 43 games during his career, including 21 starts. In 2004, he was second on the team with 11.0 tackles for losses (50 yards) and 5.0 sacks (39 yards). He recorded 36 total tackles, with 21 unassisted and 15 assists. He broke up four passes and forced two fumbles. He frequently caused quarterbacks to alter their throws or run with the ball.

Howard earned a spot on the All-Academic Team for the second year in a row. His selection also gained him a spot on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the third consecutive season. On the field, he was named First Team All-LSC South in 2003 and 2004.

He led the 2004 Greyhounds with 115 total tackles, and also ranked first with 67 unassisted tackles and 48 assists. He recorded 9.0 tackles for losses and 4.5 quarterback sacks. He picked off three passes, and returned two of the interceptions for touchdowns (vs. SW Oklahoma and Abilene Christian). He tied for 35th in NCAA Division II and fourth in the LSC with 10.5 tackles per game. He ranked first in the LSC and was tied for 18th in the nation with 6.1 solo tackles per game.

In 2004, Howard was selected First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI for the second straight year. He is majoring in Biology (Pre-Medicine) and has a 3.69 cumulative GPA. During his career, Howard provided the Hounds with 248 total tackles, including 133 unassisted tackles and 115 assists. He registered 29 tackles for losses (98 yards lost) and 7.5 sacks (48 yards lost).

He intercepted four passes, forced four fumbles, recovered four fumbles and broke up three passes during his four years with the Hounds. In not only led Eastern in tackles in 2004, but also recorded a team-high 85 tackles in 2003. He is the son of ENMU Offensive Coordinator Mike Howard.

Idemudia was selected to the All-Academic Team for the second consecutive season. It is the third time he has been a member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll. He was voted First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI this fall, and also earned First Team Academic All-District recognition in 2002 and 2003. He has achieved a 3.53 cumulative GPA and is majoring in Accounting.

This year, he ranked fourth on the team with a career-high 59 tackles, including 36 solo stops. He registered seven tackles for losses of 37 yards and contributed 3.0 sacks for 18 yards lost. He broke up two passes, forced two fumbles and recovered one fumble for the Greyhounds.

When combined with his junior year, his 2004 statistics gave him 114 tackles (69 solo) over his final two seasons at Eastern Idemudia concluded his four-year ENMU career with 179 total tackles in 34 career games played. He earned 111 unassisted tackles and had 22 tackles for losses of 101 yards. He also recorded 7.0 sacks for 60 yards in losses. His career totals also included six pass break-ups, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions. He was named Honorable Mention All-LSC South in 2003.

Rush received LSC South All-Academic honors for the first time this year, but it was the third time he qualified for the Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Rush contributed key blocking throughout the season for Eastern’s successful rushing attack, which led the LSC and ranked 20th in NCAA Division II with 223.2 yards per game. His efforts also contributed to Eastern gaining 351.9 total yards of offense per game, while scoring 34 touchdowns (24 rush, 10 pass). ENMU controlled the ball for an average of 31:45 throughout the season to rank third in the LSC.

The past two years, he has been a starter or played regular shifts at offensive guard, allowing him to become an increasingly important member of the offensive line. He combined with the rest of the line in 2003 to lead the Greyhounds to 352.9 total yards per game, including 238.2 rushing yards per contest. Eastern recorded 22 rushing touchdowns and nine passing touchdowns in 2003. Rush was chosen ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District this year. He was named Second Team Academic All-District in 2003. He has a 3.73 GPA and is majoring in Mathematics.

Touchstone was the only NCAA Division II player, and one of just 15 players overall, chosen as 2004 National Scholar-Athletes by the National Football Foundation. He will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and will join the other Scholar-Athletes at the annual National Football Foundation banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on Tuesday, Dec. 7.

He also received national recognition this year when he was chosen the College Division Football Academic All-America of the Year, an award sponsored by ESPN The Magazine and chosen in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He was selected First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America for the second year in a row, after being named Second Team Academic All-America in 2002. He was named First Team Academic All-District in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He concluded the season with an LSC South All-Academic award for the third straight year. It was his first selection as the LSC South Academic Player of the Year.

Touchstone ranked third on the 2004 team with 78 total tackles, and was second on the squad with 53 unassisted stops. He recorded one tackle for a loss and one-half of a quarterback sack. He also contributed on special teams, and blocked three field goals in the fourth quarter of games eventually won by ENMU. One of the blocked kicks was a 19-yarder with 3:20 left in Eastern’s 21-20 Homecoming victory over arch rival West Texas A&M. He returned 11 punts during the season for a total of 112 yards, an average of 10.2 yards per return.

He also broke up three passes and intercepted three passes during the 2004 season. He recorded a season-high 15 tackles (10 solo) against nationally-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville on Oct. 23. He was named Second Team All-LSC South in 2004. He earned First Team All-LSC South honors in 2002.

During his four years at Eastern, Touchstone accumulated 300 total tackles, including 187 solo tackles. He intercepted eight passes and broke up nine pass attempts. He also forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles. He played in all 43 games from 2001 through 2004, including 31 starts.

LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll

Eastern’s five players on the LSC South All-Academic Team were included on the LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll. They were joined on the Honor Roll by seven other ENMU players.

Carter appeared in three games for the Hounds in 2004, playing against Southwestern Oklahoma, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Western New Mexico. A physical force, the tight end made the most of the opportunities he was given, and played a key role in short yardage situations for the Hounds.

Ellis appeared in seven games during his redshirt freshman season this fall and played significant time on the defensive line and on special teams. Ellis made two tackles during the season, but was still key in adding depth for the Hounds in the defensive line, as he was groomed into his role as a major force of the future for the ENMU defense.

Gerleve had a solid 2004 season, playing in six games for the Hounds on offense and on special teams. For the season, he had three carries for 33 yards, with most of that coming on a 32-yard scamper to set up a touchdown in the fourth quarter against Western New Mexico. He was a strong contributor on nearly every special team, but had just one tackle (vs. WNMU) on the statistical chart.

Melendez appeared in the first four games of the 2004 season before suffering an injury in the game against East Central that cut his season short. Like his fellow redshirt freshman Ellis, he added depth to the defensive line and worked hard off the field to enable himself to compete for a starting position in 2005.

Mullins made significant contributions in his sophomore season, playing in eight games and starting the final six. He finished eighth on the team with 37 tackles on the season, including one for loss and one-half of a sack. He added a QB hurry and made a fumble recovery against Southwestern Oklahoma.

Schumacher was a pleasant surprise for the Eastern coaching staff, as the redshirt freshman proved well ahead of the learning curve in 2004. He appeared in seven games for the season, playing a pivotal role filling in on the offensive line that was struck with injuries this season.

Watson appeared in all 11 games for Eastern in 2004, making five starts. He finished sixth on the team with 46 total tackles, including a career-high 13 tackles against East Central on Sept. 18. He also made two tackles for losses (11 yards), 1.5 sacks (7 yards) and registered a QB hurry on the season. In his four-year career with ENMU, he posted 109 tackles in 34 games. It is the third time he has been named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll.