Football: Four Cajuns Earn All-SBC Honors

Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns had four players earn a spot on the 2010 All-Sun Belt football team, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday.

For the second consecutive year, tight end Ladarius Green was named to the team, this time as a first team selection after earning second team honors one year ago.

Senior offensive lineman Ian Burks made the squad with second team honors, marking the Cajuns sixth straight season with an offensive lineman capturing All-SBC accolades.  In fact, UL has had at least one offensive lineman on the All-SBC team in nine of the 10 seasons of SBC football.

Senior punter Spencer Ortego and senior cornerback Orkeys Auriene were honorable mention selections.  Ortego was a first team All-SBC selection last season.

Green was one of eight Semifinalists for the John Mackey Award.  He led all Mackey semifinalists in receiving yards-per-game (79.4), receiving yards-per-catch (18.0) and touchdowns (7).  Green missed two games due to injury, but still led all tight ends nationally in total receiving yards (794) and games with 80 yards or more receiving (7).  He made a catch of 20 yards or longer in all but one game he played this season.  The junior tight end was double-teamed on over 90% of his routes and endured three different starting quarterbacks this season, but caught at least one touchdown pass from each.  He led the Sun Belt with four 100-yard receiving games and in yards-per-reception (18.0) and ranked second in the SBC among all players – wide receivers included – in receiving yards-per-game and receiving touchdowns.

Burks was the anchor of an injury plagued offense.  He helped hold together the Ragin’ Cajuns in 2010, as UL started three different quarterbacks, three different running backs, seven different wide receivers/tight ends and eight different offensive lineman.  UL ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference in passing offense and committed the fewest penalties in the conference.  Burks was instrumental in providing leadership to the offense.

Auriene helped lead the Cajuns to a first place ranking in the Sun Belt Conference with 14 interceptions.  He led the Cajuns and the Sun Belt in passes defended (11) and interceptions (3).  Auriene ranked sixth on the team in tackles, making at least two tackles in every game.  He also returned 10 punts during the season.

Ortego, a 2010 Ray Guy Award candidate, followed up on his first team All-Sun Belt season of 2009 with another terrific showing in 2010.  He placed 18 punts inside opponents 20-yard line and had an impressive 14 kicks of 50� yards.  Ortego was incredibly consistent, finishing second in the conference in punting yards with just one touchback all season.