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ENMU arrow Athletics arrow News arrow Press Releases arrow 2005 Archive arrow 12/14 Football LSC All-Academic 2005
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Three ENMU Football Players Selected for 2005 LSC South All-Academic Team
Rush Chosen Academic Player of the Year

PORTALES, N.M.
— The Eastern New Mexico University football team placed three players on the 2005 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’s All-Academic selections were joined on the LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll by eight additional players, as the Hounds led the LSC South with 11 players honored overall.

ENMU players named to the LSC South All-Academic Team were senior offensive guard Tyson Rush (6’6”, 310 lbs., Williamsburg, NM/Hot Springs HS), senior tight end Artemus Tennison (6’1”, 215 lbs., Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS) and sophomore outside linebacker Brandon Harper (5’11”, 190 lbs., Dallas, TX/Skyline HS). Rush was named LSC South Academic Player of the Year.

The LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll included Eastern’s three All-Academic selections, plus eight additional players from ENMU. The team closest to Eastern’s 11 selections was Angelo State, with eight players on the Honor Roll.

ENMU players named to the Honor Roll, but not chosen for the LSC South All-Academic Team, were sophomore outside linebacker Royal Bell (5’8”, 170 lbs., Albuquerque, NM/Albuquerque HS), senior outside linebacker Kwame Darko (5’10”, 190 lbs., Dallas, TX/Richardson HS), junior running back Fide Davalos (6’0”, 202 lbs., Portales, NM/Floyd HS), sophomore defensive end Jorge Melendez (6’2”, 235 lbs., Las Cruces, NM/Onate HS), junior inside linebacker Jeremy Mullins (5’10”, 225 lbs., Merkel, TX/Merkel HS), junior place-kicker and punter Lee Price (5’11”, 195 lbs., Holliday, TX/Holliday HS), sophomore offensive guard Landon Schumacher (6’7”, 328 lbs., Plainview, TX/ Lockney HS), and junior offensive tackle Marcus Smith (6’3”, 261 lbs., Hereford, TX/Hereford HS).

ENMU, playing one of the most difficult schedules in NCAA Division II, finished the 2005 season with a 5-6 overall record, including 2-4 in the LSC South (5th place tie). The Greyhounds took on seven teams that were nationally or regionally ranked at the end of the season. Eastern defeated previously unbeaten Angelo State University, 38-14, on Oct. 1 during the ENMU Homecoming game. Eastern was led by Mark Ribaudo, in his first season as head coach after eight years as an assistant coach at ENMU.

Student-athletes qualified for the LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll by earning at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while earning at least 24 semester hours at their current university and reaching sophomore athletic status. 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

Rush received LSC South All-Academic honors for the second consecutive year and qualified for the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the fourth season in a row (redshirt freshmen were eligible prior to the 2005 season). He is the second ENMU player in a row to be named LSC South Academic Player of the Year. Ty Touchstone (Sr. in 2004, FS, Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS) received the honor in 2004.

Rush was a key contributor to Eastern’s offensive line, which led the Greyhounds on their way to a school record 3,333 rushing yards. ENMU ranked third in NCAA Division II with 303.0 rushing yards per game. The Hounds averaged 373.4 total yards per game, while scoring 31 rushing touchdowns and eight passing touchdowns. He helped ENMU rush for a school record 475 yards against West Texas A&M University on Oct. 8. ENMU controlled the ball for an average of 33:22 throughout the season to rank first in the LSC.

He was a starter in 2004 and 2005, after playing regular shifts as a sophomore in 2003. He worked with Eastern’s other offensive linemen as the Greyhounds ranked ninth in NCAA Division II with 238.2 rushing yards per game in 2003 and ranked 20th in the nation with 223.2 rushing yards per game in 2004.

Rush was chosen ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District for the second consecutive season in 2005. He was named Second Team Academic All-District in 2003. He has a 3.73 GPA and is majoring in Mathematics.

Tennison was named to the LSC South All-Academic Team for the first time. He earned a spot on the LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the second time during his career, after previously qualifying for the award in 2003. He was chosen First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District this season. He was a Second Team Academic All-District selection in 2003. Tennison is majoring in Accounting and has a 3.23 cumulative GPA.

During his four seasons at ENMU, he was used primarily as a blocking tight end. He contributed to Eastern’s outstanding rushing attack, which ranked third in NCAA Division II this season, after earning top 20 rankings in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He started all 43 games the past four seasons.

While playing for the Hounds, Tennison caught 16 career passes for 350 yards, an average of 21.9 yards per catch. He scored four touchdowns, with two against Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2002 and two versus Angelo State in 2003. This year, his only pass reception covered 40 yards in the Hounds’ 38-14 win over previously undefeated Angelo State on Oct. 1. He did not score on the play.

Harper ranked fourth on Eastern’s defensive chart with 58 total tackles in 2005. He earned 27 unassisted tackles and recorded 31 assists. He registered a personal-high 13 tackles, including eight solo stops against Southeastern Oklahoma State University on Sept. 3. Harper provided the Greyhounds with 4.5 tackles for losses (17 yards) and 2.0 quarterback sacks (14 yards). He also broke up three passes and forced a fumble. He was one of Eastern’s most consistent defensive players.

This year, Harper and the rest of the ENMU defense caused opponents to lose 12 fumbles and throw eight interceptions. The Greyhounds held opposing teams to a 35% conversion rate on third down and to just 32% success on fourth down.

Last season, Harper saw action in two games and recorded one tackle for the Greyhounds. He made a successful move into a starting position this season, as he played in 10 of 11 games. Harper redshirted at ENMU in 2003.

Harper was chosen for the LSC South All-Academic Team for the first time this year. He is majoring in Art an has achieved a 3.75 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 Honor Roll by eight other ENMU players.

Bell missed five of 11 games due to injuries, but still provided the Hounds with 23 total tackles, on 10 solo stops and 13 assists. He contributed three tackles for losses (16 yards) and one quarterback sack (10 yards). He earned 32 total tackles (18 solo, 14 assists) in 2004, while recording 4.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 3.5 sacks. Bell has achieved a 3.20 GPA, while working on a major in Physical Education. It was his first time on the LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll.




Darko
earned 16 total tackles, while playing in eight games this fall. He registered three solo tackles and produced 13 assists. In 2004, he achieved 18 total tackles (7 solos, 11 assists) in 10 games. His ENMU career began with one appearance in 2001, but he missed the 2002 and 2003 seasons due to injuries. He played in a combined 18 of 22 games as a junior and a senior. He is majoring in Biology at ENMU and has a 3.21 GPA. Darko was named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the first time.



Davalos
qualified for the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the second time, after earning similar academic recognition in 2003. He was named First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District this year. He is majoring in Biology and has recorded a 3.21 GPA.

In 2005, he rushed 71 times for 348 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry. He also caught five passes for 150 yards (30.0 avg.) and two touchdowns. His longest plays covered 53 yards on the ground and 64 yards through the air. In three seasons, Davalos has rushed for 608 yards and six touchdowns on 148 carries. He has caught 24 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns.

Melendez saw action in the first four games of the season, but missed the rest of the year due to injury. He also missed the final seven games in 2004 following an injury. This year, he provided 14 total tackles on 4 solo tackles and 10 assists. He registered two tackles for losses and earned one sack. He returned an interception 58 yards against Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Sept. 10 and blocked a kick against East Central University on Sept. 17. Melendez is majoring in Business and has earned a 3.53 GPA. He qualified for the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the second consecutive season.

Mullins led the Greyhounds with 78 total tackles, including a team-high 32 solo tackles. He tied for the team lead with 46 assists. He broke-up three passes, hurried opposing quarterbacks three times, forced two fumbles and had one fumble recovery. He recorded 10 tackles in two games this year, against West Texas A&M on Oct. 8 and Midwestern State University on Oct. 29. In three seasons at ENMU, he has achieved 117 total tackles, with 57 solo stops and 60 assists. He is majoring in Physical Education with a 3.55 GPA. He has played in 25 games (18 starts) during his career, including 11 starts in 2005.

Price has started all 33 games during his career. In 2005, he connected on 8 of 13 field goals and 35 of 37 extra points. He kicked a 52-yard field goal, one yard short of the ENMU record, against East Central on Sept. 17. He punted the ball 58 times and averaged 37.9 yards per punt. During his career, he has scored 183 points on 93 of 91 extra points (93.9%) and 30 of 51 field goals (58.8%).

He qualified for the LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the first time this season. He is majoring in Physical Education and has recorded a 3.27 GPA.

In 2004, he was chosen D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week after tying an ENMU record with four field goals against Angelo State. In 2003, he kicked four field goals against Adams State College and was named Honorable Mention All-LSC South at the end of the season.

Schumacher saw action in five games in 2004, then made significant contributions in the ENMU offensive line this season, while playing mostly as a starter. He helped the Greyhounds gain 4,107 total yards (373.4 avg.). His blocking paved the way for Eastern to lead the LSC in third down conversions, as the Hounds were successful on 65 of 154 attempts (42.2%). The Hounds averaged 5.3 yards per rush and 18.4 yards per pass completion. Schumacher secured a spot on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the second straight year. He has earned a 3.41 GPA and is majoring in Physical Education.


Smith
started all 11 games in 2005 and has seen action in every game the past two seasons. He helped the Greyhounds rank third in the nation this year with 303.0 rushing yards per game. The Hounds rushed for 3,333 yards to break the previous school record of 3,188, set in 2002. He made significant blocks throughout the season, as Eastern gain over 385 total yards six times during the year, including a season-high of 632 yards against West Texas A&M on Oct. 8. Smith is a History major with a 3.29 GPA at Eastern. Including six appearances as a freshman, he has played in 28 games during his career.

 



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