SAU Sports Information
The Great American Conference announced its annual all-conference teams for football on Tuesday and for the second-straight year, the Southern Arkansas football team was well-represented with a total of 13 selections. Among that representation, the Muleriders had seven first-team honorees. Headlining that contingent was Davondrick Lison as he was tabbed as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Joining Lison on the first-team were Karonce Higgins (WR), Tanner Hudson (TE), Elgin Moore (S), Michael Nunnery (RB), Barrett Renner (QB), and Travis Williams (DT). The seven All-GAC First-Team selections were the most for any conference team this season and are the most for the SAU Football program in the NCAA-era. The previous high watermark for first-team selections was six in 1998 and 1999 when SAU was a member of the Gulf South Conference.
Touted as second-team selections were Darren Crawford (CB), Colby Geissen (OL), and Antonio Washington (DT) while Kile Pletcher (S/T), Garrett Turnbull (FB), and Anthony Washington (DE) rounded out All-GAC recognition by landing on the honorable mention team.
Geissen, Higgins, Pletcher, Turnbull, and the Washington brothers all earned All-GAC honors for the first time, while Crawford, Hudson, Lison, Moore, Nunnery, Renner, and Williams are repeat recipients.
Lison, a native of Arkansas City, Ark., is the second Mulerider in the NCAA-era to be named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year as he joins former All-America linebacker Fred Perry (GSC – 1997) in that distinction. Lison is also the second Mulerider to earn a “…of the Year” award in the GAC, following teammate Barrett Renner’s Freshman of the Year award in 2015.
That same season, Lison was an All-GAC Honorable Mention selection himself at defensive end after he had a freshman season that saw him lead the team in tackles for lost yardage, sacks and forced fumbles. Last season, Lison battled through injuries, but this year, he played a healthy season and the results spoke for themselves.
In 2017, Lison played in all 11 games for the Muleriders with most of his time spent at defensive end. The last two games of the season however, Lison started at middle linebacker to fill a void there.
Overall, Lison was fourth on the team in total tackles (53) behind a trio of fellow all-conference teammates. Now a two-time All-GAC player, Lison would lead the team in sacks (7.5) and tied for the most tackles for lost yardage (16.5). Both of those marks also were tops in the GAC.
His most dominant game of the year came against Southwestern Oklahoma when he had a career-best three sacks. It was the most sacks in a game since 2009. Lison is now 6.5 sacks away from tying the career record at SAU.
Higgins, a native of Searcy, Ark., earned his first all-conference honor as the junior wideout had a breakout season overall with 54 receptions for 623 yards and nine touchdowns. His receptions and touchdowns led the team, while his receiving yards were one off the team lead.
Among the GAC rankings, Higgins would tie for third in total receptions and receptions per game (4.9), while his touchdowns were tied for the second-most among pass-catchers in the league.
Higgins’ all-conference campaign did not get off to a resounding start as he had 233 yards on 20 receptions and three TDs through the first five weeks of the year. After being held without a catch in a week six game at Southern Nazarene, Higgins closed out his junior season with a furry totaling 390 yards and six touchdowns on 34 receptions. His best game was a 12-reception, 124-yard performance against Ouachita in week 10.
Hudson, a native of Camden, Tenn., was named to the first-team at tight end for the first time after consecutive seasons being tabbed to the second-team despite having the best offensive numbers in the league at his position those two years.
This season, Hudson had another top-notch statistical year at tight end as the senior led the team and ranked sixth in the GAC in receiving yards with 624. Hudson was also second on the team in receptions and receiving touchdowns with 43 catches and six scores. All of those marks were once more tops among tight ends in the GAC.
Moore, for the third-consecutive season, claimed All-GAC recognition after being placed on the league’s First-Team following a senior season one could expect out of a veteran leader. Moore led the Mulerider defense in tackles for the third year in a row as he accumulated 71 total tackles, including 42 solo stops. That tackle total stands as a top 20 mark this season in the GAC as Moore recorded six or more stops in seven games this year, with a pair of double-figure tackle totals including a career-high 12 tackles at Arkansas Tech.
A daunting fixture in the SAU secondary, Moore finished the season with a career-high eight passes defended, which includes seven breakups and one interception, and stands as a top 20 mark in the GAC this season.
The redshirt senior played a pivotal part in the successes of a Mulerider defensive unit that concluded the season ranked in the top four in total defense (2nd | 346.5 ypg), rushing defense (2nd | 140.9 ypg), sacks by, (2nd | 23), opponent first downs (2nd | 18.7), opponent third-down conversions (2nd | 38.7%), and scoring defense (4th | 26.7 ppg). On the backend, Moore proved to be a mainstay among an ever-changing secondary that forced opposing quarterbacks to record the second-lowest completion percentage against at a clip of 54.1%.
The Minden, Louisiana, product ended his collegiate career, which began as a walk-on in the fall of 2013, with 275 total tackles (160 solo, 115 ast.), seven TFL, and 21 passes defended (13 breakups, eight interceptions for 88 yards and a score). Moore played in 44 career games for Southern Arkansas and finishes his stellar career as a three-time All-GAC performer.
Nunnery, a native of Bossier, La., capped his Mulerider career with his second All-GAC award, this time taking home first-team honors.
Following up a junior season in which he ran for over 1,100 yards on 213 carries and 12 touchdowns in 12 games played, Nunnery nearly matched that production this year in one less game with 937 yards on 173 carries while also scoring 12 touchdowns. Nunnery also added 12 receptions for 124 yards and a score as he ended with over 1,000 all-purpose yards.
His rushing yards ranked second in the GAC, while his 12 rushing touchdowns were the most by a primary running back in the league. His 13 total TDs were tied for the fourth-most in the conference.
Like other all-conference teammates on the offensive side of the ball, Nunnery’s season did not get off to a great start as he had just 214 yards and one touchdown over his first four games. In that time, Nunnery surpassed the century mark once. Over his final seven games, however, Nunnery had five games with 100 or more yards rushing and totaled 723 yards with 11 touchdowns on 128 carries.
Renner, a native of Rowlett, Texas, has been the Muleriders’ signal-caller the last three seasons and each year he has been an all-conference QB, earning first-team honors as a freshman and this year as a junior. Renner’s initial first-team plaudit in 2015 made him the first QB at SAU to achieve that high of a conference recognition since 1993.
This season Renner continued to show that he is one of the best quarterbacks not only in the GAC and the region, but in all of DII as well as he threw for 3,201 yards and a SAU single-season record 35 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions. He would also complete 264 of his 396 pass attempts for an efficient completion percentage of 67%. Renner’s marks in yards, completions, and touchdowns all led the GAC, while also ranking in the Top-10 in DII. He currently is fifth nationally in Passing TDs and Completions and sixth in Passing Yards.
Throughout his junior season, Renner began to place his name atop numerous career records at SAU. All told, he established six such marks this season and stands to own four more percentage-based career records once his time as a Mulerider is completed.
Williams, after claiming All-GAC First-Team honors as a junior transfer from Southwest Mississippi Junior College last season, again earned First-Team honors in his senior campaign after once again anchoring a defensive front that dominated offensive lines all season long.
A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Williams’ 6-0, 283 lbs presence along with his dominance last season at the nose guard position was more than enough to force opposing coaches to try and scheme around him, but the savvy senior delivered statistically anyway by registering 42 total stops, five quarterback hurries, 2.5 tackles for loss, a half sack, and one fumble recovery, while picking off his first career pass after jumping a screen play in the season finale against Arkansas-Monticello.
Williams was an imposing fixture for a Mulerider defense that finished the season ranked in the top four in total defense (2nd | 346.5 ypg), rushing defense (2nd | 140.9 ypg), sacks by, (2nd | 23), opponent first downs (2nd | 18.7), opponent third-down conversions (2nd | 38.7%), and scoring defense (4th | 26.7 ppg).
Williams, who spent a majority of his time handling opponent double teams, concludes his playing career for the Muleriders after starting in all 23 games for SAU the past two seasons where he totaled 86 tackles, 10.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks.
Crawford capped a senior season that saw the boisterous defensive back record the sixth-most interceptions in the league with three, two of which he returned for touchdowns, and rank ninth in passes defended with 11 (8 breakups, 3 interceptions) as he garnered All-GAC Second-Team plaudits. Both of those marks led an SAU secondary that forced opposing quarterbacks to record the second-lowest completion percentage against at a clip of 54.1%.
An All-GAC Honorable Mention honoree as a junior last fall, Crawford recorded the sixth-most tackles for the Mulerider defense in 2017 as he tallied a career-high 45 stops in 11 games played, while also forcing a fumble. Of those 45 tackles, 35 were of the solo variety, which stands as the second-most on the team. Crawford produced four or more total tackles in eight games, including five games with five stops.
In a 35-28 win at East Central, Crawford had arguably the best game of his season as he recorded five stops, while breaking up three passes and taking an interception 34 yards for a touchdown.
The Ruston, La., native finished his career with 131 total tackles (101 solo, 30 ast.), two tackles for loss, 34 passes defended, one forced fumble and eight interceptions totaling 135 yards with three touchdowns.
Giessen earned an All-GAC Second-Team accolade due in large part to his durability which has helped Southern Arkansas lead the league in offense the past two seasons, with an average of more than 35 points per game the last two campaigns. The redshirt senior saw action in 29 career games with 24 starts, including 23 straight dating back to the 2016 season opener.
A native of Danbury, Texas, Giessen greatly influenced a Mulerider rushing attack that totaled 1,832 yards on 375 attempts with 16 touchdowns in 2017. As important as he was in the ground game, Giessen, over the past two seasons, has made an impressive living as SAU’s starting right tackle protecting the blind side of three-time All-GAC quarterback Barrett Renner who lit up opposing defenses (see above) once again this fall.
Led by Giessen’s veteran leadership, a Mulerider offensive line that entered the fall blanketed with uncertainty, rose to the challenge and finished the season by allowing the fewest sacks in the league with just six, which included a span of 28 quarters totaling 491 offense snaps from Week 3 through Week 9 without allowing a sack.
Antonio Washington, after redshirting as a freshman last season, proved that he could be a productive mainstay along the defensive front for Southern Arkansas in the coming years as he capped his first collegiate season with All-GAC Second-Team honors.
The youngest of a dominant brotherly duo, Antonio finished the season with the third-most tackles for the Mulerider defense with 56, including a team-high 33 assisted stops. The redshirt freshman added eight tackles for loss totaling 26 yards, which included three sacks. His season marks in TFL and sacks both rank in the league’s top 15 this season, while his total tackles place in the top 35 of all defenders. Washington also recorded both of the SAU defense’s blocked kicks this fall: one of which was a Harding punt that was returned by Lison for a touchdown.
In a five-game stretch beginning in Week 4, Washington registered five or more stops three times, with 26 total tackles, including a career-high nine tackles in a road win at East Central. That same stretch saw Washington record 7.5 of his 8 tackles for loss this season as the Muleriders posted a 4-1 mark.
A native of Marshall, Texas, Washington was a key cog for a Mulerider defense that allowed the second-fewest rushing yards, the second-fewest opponent first downs, and the second-lowest opponent third down conversion rate in the Great American Conference this season.
Pletcher, a native of Magnolia lands on the league’s Honorable Mention team as a special teams performer. In ten games played this season, he recorded nine total tackles with six coming as solo stops, while helping Southern Arkansas finish the season ranked fifth in the GAC in kickoff coverage.
As a wide receiver, the junior also caught six balls for 93 yards averaging 15.5 yards per catch. Despite the low number of targets, Pletcher posted a team-best yards-per-catch mark of 15.5 among players with five or more catches. His biggest performance of the season came at the Murphy USA Classic where he hauled in a career-best five passes for 84 yards against Ouachita Baptist.
Turnbull was an integral part of an SAU Offense that led the league in total offense (458.4 yards per game), while ranking third in scoring offense (36.4 points per game).
As a fullback, Turnbull was the key lead blocker for a Mulerider rushing attack that tallied 1,829 yards at an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Originally recruited to play on the defensive side of the football, Turnbull made a name for himself as a versatile option in the Mulerider backfield during the past three seasons, boasting the ability to be a bruising blocker as well as pass-catching threat which culminated in him being named an All-GAC Honorable Mention performer.
A native of Frisco, Texas, Turnbull concluded his senior season with a dozen catches for a career-high 171 yards and four touchdowns. His best performance came in a Homecoming rout of Southeastern Oklahoma as he hauled in a pair of passes, both of which found the end zone, including a career-long reception of 52 yards. He also ranked third on the team, among players with ten or more receptions, in yards per catch at 14.2.
In all, Turnbull caught 34 passes in 36 career games for 391 yards at 11.5 yards per catch with ten touchdowns, while also blocking for a Mulerider rushing attack that has totaled over 5,700 yards combined the past three seasons.
Anthony Washington joins his younger brother, Antonio, as an All-GAC standout in 2017 as the elder Washington claimed Honorable Mention honors after his junior campaign.
The Marshall, Texas, native was a disrupting force along the defensive line for Southern Arkansas this season as he joined Lison in leading the Great American Conference in tackles for loss with 16.5 (83 lost yards), while also recording the fourth-most sacks in the league with 5.5 (47 lost yards) and adding four quarterback hurries. All three of those marks stand as career-highs, as does his 62 total tackles (31 solo, 31 ast.) which placed him among the top 25 tacklers in the league and second on the Mulerider defense.
The junior defensive tackle produced eight games with five or more tackles and registered at least 0.5 tackles for loss in ten of 11 games played this fall, while registering two or more TFL in a game five times.
Washington’s efforts helped pace SAU as the second-best rushing defense in the GAC surrendering just under 141 yards on the ground per game and 3.9 yards per rush.