SPORTS

La. Tech places 2 on preseason All-C-USA team

Staff Reports

IRVING, Texas – Louisiana Tech had two representatives named to the 2017 Conference USA Football Coaches Preseason Awards as O’Shea Dugas and Jaylon Ferguson both made the list, which is voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Ferguson has already been named to a pair of watch lists this summer with both the Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy committees naming the defensive lineman as one of the nation’s top players to watch heading into the 2017 season.

In 2016, Ferguson recorded a single-season school record 14.5 sacks for a loss of 89 yards and 49 total tackles with 16 tackles for loss. Ferguson also ranked sixth in FBS and first in Conference USA in sacks per game (1.04), while he also ranked first in C-USA in fumbles recovered and second in forced fumbles per game (0.29).

Ferguson enters his redshirt junior season ranked fourth in the NCAA among active career leaders in total sacks per game with an average of 0.79, while he is ranked fifth with 1.19 tackles for loss per game in his career. He is also ranked third in Louisiana Tech history with 20.5 career sacks.

On the offensive line, Dugas played in every game for the Bulldogs as a sophomore last season while making 11 starts. In 2016, Dugas helped lead a unit that ranked third nationally in tackles for loss allowed (3.71 per game), while he also helped pave the way for an offense that ranked second nationally in scoring (44.3 points per game) and ninth nationally in total offense (514.7).

Last week, Dugas was named to the 2017 Outland Trophy Watch List, which includes 24 offensive tackles, 21 defensive tackles, 19 centers and 17 offensive guards from all 10 Division I FBS conferences.

2017 C-USA FOOTBALL COACHES PRESEASON AWARDS

Offense

QB Mike White, Sr., WKU

RB Ray Lawry, Sr., Old Dominion

RB Ito Smith, Sr., Southern Miss

OL O’Shea Dugas, Jr., Louisiana Tech

OL Will Hernandez, Sr., UTEP

OL Trey Martin, Sr., Rice

OL Austin Pratt, Sr., UTSA

OL Brandan Ray, Sr., WKU

TE Ryan Yurachek, Sr., Marshall

WR Richie James, Jr., Middle Tennessee

WR Jonathan Duhart, Sr., Old Dominion

WR Allenzae Staggers, Sr., Southern Miss

Defense

DL Marcus Davenport, Sr., UTSA

DL Jaylon Ferguson, Jr., Louisiana Tech

DL Chris Johnson, Sr., WKU

DL Oshane Ximines, Jr., Old Dominion

LB Emmanuel Ellerbee, Sr., Rice

LB Alvin Jones, Sr., UTEP

LB Josiah Tauaefa, So., UTSA

LB Anthony Wint, Sr., FIU

DB Brandon Addison, Sr., Old Dominion

DB Nate Brooks, Sr., North Texas

DB Joe Brown, Sr., WKU

DB Kishawn McClain, Sr., North Texas

Special Teams

K Canon Rooker, Sr., Middle Tennessee

P Jake Collins, Jr., WKU

KR Kylen Towner, Sr., WKU

PR Nacarius Fant, Sr., WKU

LS Matt Bayliss, Sr., UTSA