Football: Sun Belt honors Cajun trio

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, December 6, 2012

Three UL Ragin’ Cajuns seniors — Brett Baer, Emeka Onyenekwu and Jemarlous Moten — occupy four spots on the All-Sun Belt Conference first team, which was released Wednesday.

Baer, a two-time Lou Groza Award semifinalist, was named at both kicker and punter. Onyenekwu, a pass-rushing specialist who plays defensive end, was named on the defensive line. And Moten, who switched to cornerback after having played safety in 2011, was named as a defensive back.

Three from UL— all on offense — earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors: senior slot receiver Harry Peoples, junior center Andre Huval and senior tackle Leonardo Bates.

And two other Cajuns, senior offensive tackle Jaron Odom and sophomore quarterback Terrance Broadway, earned honorable mention.

As happy as UL coach Mark Hudspeth was for those eight, however, he was disappointed for others.

"Guys like (wideout) Javone Lawson, (linebacker) Justin Anderson, (defensive lineman) Cordian Hagans, (cornerback) Melvin White and (running back) Alonzo Harris and others — players who have meant so much to us this year — are just as deserving as those who have been recognized," Hudspeth said in a statement released by the school.

Anderson is UL’s top tackler this season with 101, 66 of them solo stops.

Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin, meanwhile, was named the Sun Belt’s Player of the Year for a second straight season, and UL Monroe’s Todd Berry was named its Coach of the Year.

Berry has his 8-4 Warhawks headed to the Independence Bowl.

Aplin threw for 23 touchdowns this season, helping his GoDaddy.com Bowl-bound Red Wolves win the Sun Belt championship while also becoming the SBC’s career leader passing yards leader.

Other SBC Players of the Year are UL Monroe quarterback Kolton Browning on offense, Western Kentucky lineman Quanterus Smith on defense and Arkansas State receiver J.D. McKissick (Freshman of the Year).

Aplin (255-of-376 for 3,229 yards) is the Sun Belt’s first-team quarterback and Browning (252-of-389 for 2,830 yards and 7 TDs) its second-team QB.

Broadway is 185-of-283 for 2,531 and 16 touchdowns in 12 games (eight starts after replacing the injured Blaine Gautier) for the Cajuns, who will play East Carolina in the Dec. 22 New Orleans Bowl.

The Sun Belt’s two first-team running backs are Arkansas State’s David Oku and Western Kentucky’s Antonio Andrews.

Peoples (61 catches, 774 yards, 5 touchdowns) lost out on first-team honors at receiver to UL Monroe’s Brent Leonard (96, 1,042, 10), Middle Tennessee’s Anthony Amos (72, 992, 9) and Troy’s Chip Reeves (65, 1,050, 6).

Baer has scored a Sun Belt-leading 100 points this season, going 17-for-20 on field-goal attempts and 49-for-51 on PATs. He’s averaging 42.0 yards on 54 punts, with eight going 50 yards or more and 22 downed inside the 20-yard, including just two touchbacks.

Onyenekwu has started just eight games in 2012, but he has a team-leading 6.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss.

Moten has three interceptions and two forced fumbles this season, including one fumble recovery he returned 56 yards for a touchdown against Troy.