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Football: UL’s Green named first-team pickJoshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • December 25, 2010 Mark Hudspeth, recently hired as UL’s new head football coach, has yet to work with junior tight end Ladarius Green.
Hudspeth eagerly awaits the opportunity to coach Green, who was voted the first-team All-Louisiana tight end by a panel of 26 Louisiana Sports Writers Association members. The LSWA announced its All-Louisiana team late Friday night. "What an honor for Ladarius and UL," Hudspeth said. "He is going to be a weapon in our offense." Green earned a slew of honors as UL’s top offensive weapon this year. The native of Pensacola, Fla., led all tight ends nationally in receiving yards (794), yards per catch (18) and 80-yard receiving games (seven) despite being double-teamed more than 90 percent of the time and missing two games due to injury. Green topped the Sun Belt Conference with four 100-yard receiving games and yards per reception and was second in receiving yards per game (79.4) and touchdown catches (seven). Green was named an All-American by CBSSports.com (second team), Heisman Pundit (third team) and Phil Steele (fourth team), a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award and first-team all-conference. Hudspeth has even bigger plans for Green as a senior next season in his spread offense. "I can’t wait to work with him," Hudspeth said. "He is going to be a perfect fit for our offense. His athletic ability will allow him to line up at numerous positions on the field to create matchup problems for the defense. I am also going to be counting on him to be a leader." Three other players with local ties — Louisiana College senior receiver Jordan Rideaux, Tulane sophomore linebacker Trent Mackey and UL senior center Ian Burks — were recognized by the LSWA. Rideaux, a Carencro High grad, was named first-team All-Louisiana after being honored as the American Southwest Conference Special Teams Player of the Year and first-team all-conference. He led the ASC with a kick return average of 22.8 yards, was second in the conference in all-purpose yards (1,628) and added 80 catches for 946 yards and 11 touchdowns. Mackey, a Port Sulphur native who played his final three prep seasons at Carencro High after being relocated due to Hurricane Katrina, was a first-team All-Louisiana linebacker and the state’s Newcomer of the Year. The Duke transfer was third in Conference USA and 17th nationally with 124 tackles and had three forced fumbles to garner second-team all-conference honors.
Burks, named second-team all-conference last week, was a second-team All-Louisiana pick. He helped the Cajuns rank third in the Sun Belt in passing offense and commit the fewest penalties in the league this season after starting the previous three years at right guard. "You’re talking about a guy that started at center for only one year," former UL head coach Rickey Bustle said after Burks earned second-team all-conference honors. "I think he could have been a first-team all-conference center or a first-team all-conference guard." LSU junior cornerback Patrick Peterson was a unanimous pick as the state’s Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team selection on defense. He grabbed four interceptions, broke up six passes and scored on two punt returns. Peterson was a unanimous All-American and won the Jim Thorpe (nation’s top defensive back) and Chuck Bednarik (nation’s top defensive player) Awards. Louisiana College senior quarterback Ben McLaughlin edged out Grambling senior tailback Frank Warren by one vote for state Offensive Player of the Year. McLaughlin led NCAA Division III passers with 3,770 passing yards to earn third-team Associated Press Little All-America honors. He also threw for 42 touchdown passes and was one of four finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy (top individual D-III honor) while pursuing a master’s degree and working full-time as a math teacher at Alexandria’s Bolton High School. Mackey got one more vote than Louisiana Tech junior tailback Lennon Creer to win Newcomer of the Year honors for first-year non-freshman players in Louisiana. The state’s Freshman of the Year award went to ULM redshirt freshman quarterback Kolton Browning, who threw for 2,552 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for four scores despite playing the final five games with a lower-body injury. His 244.8 yards of total offense per game ranked third among NCAA freshmen this season. LSU’s Les Miles was voted the state’s top coach after leading the program to a 10-2 record and its sixth straight bowl appearance. Miles posted his fourth 10-win season — the most in school history — with victories over four top-25 teams. The Tigers play Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 7. The All-Louisiana team was selected based on nominations submitted by the sports information directors from the state’s football-playing schools. LSWA members then voted on the nominations to choose the team. Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana TeamFirst Team Offense OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR "” Ben McLaughlin, Louisiana College Second Team Offense
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