University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Puts 12 On CAA Football All-Conference Teams
Nov. 24, 2008
RICHMOND - CAA Football announced its 2008 All-Conference Team Monday and 12 Richmond Spiders were honored, including six selections on the First Team -- senior TB Josh Vaughan, sophomore WR Kevin Grayson, junior OL Matt McCracken, senior DE Lawrence Sidbury, Jr., sophomore LB Eric McBride, and sophomore CB Justin Rogers. The voting was conducted by the league's head coaches.
Also for Richmond on the Second Team were senior FB John Crone, junior OL Michael Silva, junior PR Derek Hatcher, senior DE Sherman Logan and junior PK Andrew Howard. Junior LB Collin McConaghy was named to the Third Team.
The Capital City produced four of Richmond's 12 picks - Vaughan and Howard (Hermitage High), Grayson and McBride (L.C. Bird High). In addition, Richmond's six First Team selections were second-most behind the seven from Massachusetts. James Madison had five.
Vaughan became the second-consecutive Spider to garner First Team honors at tailback, following in the footsteps of All-American Tim Hightower. Vaughan is the CAA's leading running back and ranked 10th in the FCS with 117.8 yards/game. The 14 rushing touchdowns by the Hermitage High alum are tied for the league lead. Although playing 47 career games, his 11 starts all came this season.
Sidbury is a First Team performer for the second-straight year and is currently third in the conference in tackles for loss (14.5) and fifth in the sacks (6.5). Rated as the FCS' best senior defensive lineman by Pro Draft Scout in the preseason, Sidbury has 11.5 sacks and 23.0 TFL in the last two seasons. A native of Cheltenham, Md., he and Logan anchor the CAA's best defensive unit, which ranks fifth nationally in total defense (249.5 yards/game).
Rogers may be one of the most dangerous all-around threats in the FCS. An All-American kick returner last season, the sophomore from Baton Rouge, La. is making a strong case to be an All-American again - this time at cornerback. Rogers leads the league and is 10th nationally in interceptions (six) and has returned two INTs and one fumble for touchdowns this season. He is the team's fifth-leading scorer, ranked second in all-purpose yards, while his six interceptions are tied for fourth on Richmond's single-season list.
On the heels of his CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year honor last season, McBride is leading the team in tackles for a second-straight year. The sophomore has 74 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 6.0 TFL and his first career interception.
Grayson, the reigning CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year, led the Spiders and ranked sixth in the CAA in receiving at 56.5 yards/game. The sophomore has caught at least one pass in every game this season, while his 80-yard touchdown catch at Elon ranks among the longest pass plays in the conference in 2008. With eight career TD catches, Grayson needs just four more to crack the Spiders' top-10.
A year removed from an All-American campaign, McCracken solidified his spot as one of the premier offensive lineman in the CAA. The junior from Pittsburgh, Pa., whose 33-consecutive starts are a team-high, helped pave the way for another impressive rushing performance by the Spiders. Richmond is ranked as the league's fourth-best rushing team (188.9 yards/game) and is one of the league's best teams at converting on third-and-short.
Crone is a Second Team selection at fullback for second-straight year. The senior from Arlington, Va. leads the CAA's fullbacks with a 6.3 yards/carry average and has four rushing TDs this season - the first four of his career. Regarded as the conference premiere blocking fullback, Crone has helped pave the way as Richmond has re-written the school's rushing records over the last two seasons. Crone's 47 career games played are third behind senior TE Joe Stewart's 49 and Sidbury's 48.
Howard is the CAA's second-most accurate field goal kicker this season (75%) and currently stands as the FCS' career leader in PAT accuracy at 99.3%. The junior drilled his first career overtime game-winner - one of three FGs in the game - to lift Richmond past William & Mary, 23-20, last weekend. Howard boomed a career-long 53-yard field goal at Hofstra and is a spotless six-for-six on FGs between 30-39 yards this season.
Another multi-dimensional threat, Hatcher ranks as the league's second-best punt returner and is fourth on the team in tackles from his safety spot. Hatcher had three interceptions this season, returning two for touchdowns. Among the hardest hitters in the league, the St. Petersburg, Fla. native made 62 stops, including 5.0 behind the line of scrimmage.
An Altamonte Springs, Fla. native, Silva has made 26-consecutive starts on the offensive line and has helped establish the unit as one of the best in the league. The right tackle has helped Richmond rank as the league's fourth-best rushing team (188.9 yards/game) and among the league's best at converting on third-and-short.
Although missing time due to injury this season, McConaghy is still fifth on the team in tackles, has broken up three passes and recovered a fumble. The junior from Madison Heights, Va. was also an All-Conference linebacker in 2007.
Each of the awards, voted on by the 12 CAA Football head coaches, were unveiled Monday after the league advanced a record-tying five squads into postseason play for the second-straight season and had seven programs log seven or more wins.