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 WR Dante Love: One of Seven Cardinals Named Preseason All-MAC
There was also an even distribution among this year's squads with each MAC school landing no fewer than three representatives on this year's preseason All-MAC teams, paced by Ball State which landed seven players on the all-conference first or second team followed by defending champion Central Michigan as well as Akron, Western Michigan and defending MAC East champion Miami which all placed five players on the preseason team.
Heading up our preseason specialty awards are Central Michigan junior quarterback Dan LeFevour as our choice to repeat as the MAC's offensive player of the year and Northern Illinois defensive end Larry English whom we project to finish the season as the MAC's top defensive player.
MAC Report Online's 2007 preseason All-MAC team featured no fewer than twenty players that went on to earn first team All-MAC postseason honors with another 21 members of MAC Report Online's 2007 preseason squad earning either second or third team all-conference honors at the conclusion of the 2007 campaign.
In addition to the 31 seniors on this year's preseason All-MAC teams, 16 juniors and five sophomores also earned recognition.
Breaking down the first team selections:
|
First-Team Offense
|
|
Pos
|
Player
|
School
|
Height
|
Weight
|
Class
|
|
QB
|
Dan LeFevour
|
Central Michigan
|
6-3
|
225
|
Jr
|
|
RB
|
Eugene Jarvis
|
Kent State
|
5-5
|
170
|
Jr
|
|
RB
|
James Starks
|
Buffalo
|
6-2
|
210
|
Jr
|
|
WR
|
Dante Love
|
Ball State
|
5-10
|
179
|
Sr
|
|
WR
|
Bryan Anderson
|
Central Michigan
|
6-5
|
205
|
Jr
|
|
TE
|
Darius Hill
|
Ball State
|
6-6
|
236
|
Sr
|
|
OL
|
Robert Brewster
|
Ball State
|
6-5
|
310
|
Sr
|
|
OL
|
Alex Derenthal
|
Temple
|
6-4
|
295
|
Sr
|
|
OL
|
Gus Parrish
|
Kent State
|
6-5
|
305
|
Sr
|
|
OL
|
Andrew Hartline
|
Central Michigan
|
6-5
|
297
|
Sr
|
|
OL
|
Jon Brost
|
Northern Illinois
|
6-6
|
303
|
Sr
|
|
Offensive Player of the Year: Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan
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First Team Offense
For the second straight year Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour (6-3, 225, Jr) was named to our first team. LeFevour already owns numerous Chippewas passing records and last season became only the second player in NCAA FBS history to pass for over 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. LeFevour ended the 2007 season by leading the Chips to a second straight MAC title and recorded over 4,700 yards in total offense and accounted for 46 touchdowns.
Heading up the backfield is Kent State tailback Eugene Jarvis (5-5, 170, Jr) who comes off a sophomore season that saw him rank fifth in the nation, and atop the MAC, after rushing for 1,669 yards and averaging a phenomenal 6.0 yards per carry in 2007, shattering Kent State's single season rushing mark along the way. Joining Jarvis in the backfield is Buffalo's James Starks (6-2, 210, Jr) who rushed for 1,103 yards thus becoming the first member of the Bulls to top the 1,000 yard mark since Buffalo moved up to 1A in 1999.
Also making a return appearance on the MRO preseason All-MAC team is Ball State wide receiver Dante Love (5-10, 179, Sr) who topped the MAC last season with nearly 1400 yards receiving on 100 receptions. Love also hauled in ten touchdowns for the high-octane Ball State aerial attack in 2007. Central Michigan's Bryan Anderson (6-5, 205, Jr) was also part of an explosive aerial show last season and returns for his junior season after racking up 1,132 yards receiving on 90 receptions, including ten touchdowns, earning preseason All-MAC first team honors.
It's not often that a tight end leads his team in touchdown receptions, especially on a squad that sports a preseason all-conference wide-receiver, but Ball State's Darius Hill (6-6, 236, Sr) is hardly your typical tight end. Hill topped all MAC receivers last season with 11 touchdowns to go along with 926 yards receiving and should be an odds-on favorite again for postseason all-conference honors as well this season.
Any MAC head coach would welcome the size and talent on this year's preseason All-MAC offensive line which features five seniors and averages an impressive 6-5 and 302 pounds across the line. Leading this year's crew is the third member of the Ball State team to earn first-team honors on offense, Robert Brewster (6-5, 310, Sr), a 13-game starter last season who earned first-team All-MAC honors in 2007 and is on the preseason watch lists for both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy. Returning to this year's preseason all-conference team is Temple center Alex Derenthal (6-4, 295, Sr), a three-year starter who is one of only two MAC players named to the preseason Rimington Trophy watch list which is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate center. Considered one of the MAC's top run blockers, Kent State tackle Gus Parrish (6-5, 305, Sr) was part of a Golden Flashes offensive line that led the way for top rusher Eugene Jarvis. Central Michigan's Andrew Hartline (6-5, 297, Sr) gives the Chips three members on the first-team offense. Hartline earned second-team All-MAC honors in 2007 and has made 39 consecutive starts. Rounding out the offensive line is Northern Illinois tackle Jon Brost (6-6, 303, Sr) who has been a stalwart on the Huskies offensive line, and was in on every offensive snap last season, leading an NIU offensive line that once again produced a 1,000 yard rusher.
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First-Team Defense
|
|
Pos
|
Player
|
School
|
Height
|
Weight
|
Class
|
|
DL
|
Larry English
|
Northern Illinois
|
6-3
|
254
|
Sr
|
|
DL
|
Almondo Sewell
|
Akron
|
6-2
|
260
|
So
|
|
DL
|
Andre Neblett
|
Temple
|
6-2
|
290
|
Jr
|
|
DL
|
Zach Davidson
|
Western Michigan
|
6-2
|
257
|
Sr
|
|
LB
|
Daniel Holtzclaw
|
Eastern Michigan
|
6-1
|
246
|
Sr
|
|
LB
|
Clayton Mullins
|
Miami
|
6-2
|
241
|
Sr
|
|
LB
|
Caleb Bostic
|
Miami
|
6-3
|
225
|
Jr
|
|
DB
|
Barry Church
|
Toledo
|
6-2
|
212
|
Jr
|
|
DB
|
Davonte Shannon
|
Buffalo
|
6-1
|
180
|
So
|
|
DB
|
Londen Fryar
|
Western Michigan
|
5-11
|
192
|
Sr
|
|
DB
|
BJ Hill
|
Ball State
|
5-7
|
180
|
Sr
|
|
Defensive Player of the Year: Larry English, DE, Northern Illinois
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First Team Defense
Leading the way on the defensive line on this year's preseason All-MAC squad is Northern Illinois defensive end Larry English (6-3, 254, Sr). English earned first-team All-MAC honors last season in addition to receiving the Vern Smith Leadership Award in coaches voting. English has made 34 consecutive starts, including starting every game the past two seasons and topped the league with 10.5 sacks in 2007. Joining English and coming off a dominating freshman season is Akron's Almondo Sewell (6-2, 260, So) who could be a fixture for several seasons to come on various all-conference teams after finishing among the league leaders last season with 14.5 tackles for loss. Temple's Andre Neblett (6-2, 290, Jr) earns a preseason nod after the nose tackle racked up 42 tackles last season. Neblett also currently finds himself on the preseason Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list. Also earning preseason accolades is Western Michigan defensive end Zach Davidson (6-2, 257, Sr) who returns for his senior campaign after topping the Broncos with 12.5 tackles for loss and finishing among the league leaders with 6.5 sacks.
Once again the MAC seems to be blessed with a deep talent pool at linebacker and this year's trio of linebackers is representative of that depth with Miami scoring two selections to the first team led by the 2007 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, Clayton Mullins (6-2, 241, Sr). Mullins is the MAC's leading returning tackler after recording 143 tackles last season, including 13.5 tackles for loss, anchoring Miami's stingy defense. Joining Mullins from the RedHawks is Caleb Bostic (6-3, 225, Jr) who racked up 102 tackles last season, including 11 tackles for loss. Making his third straight appearance on our preseason All-MAC team is Eastern Michigan's Daniel Holtzclaw (6-1, 246, Sr). Holtzclaw earned All-MAC first-team honors last season after recording 125 tackles, has been a starter since his freshman season and is on the preseason Lombardi Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch lists.
The league's leading returning tackler in the defensive secondary is Davonte Shannon (6-1, 180, So) who burst onto the scene in his freshman season in 2007 to record 123 tackles from his strong safety position. Shannon, the nation's leading freshman tackler last season, also added 10 tackles for loss, three interceptions and 2.5 sacks to his totals last season and figures to only get better with a year of experience under his belt. Another dominating performer since his freshman season has been Toledo safety Barry Church (6-2, 212, Jr) who continued his top-tier performance last season with 92 tackles and three interceptions, earning first-team All-MAC postseason honors in each of the past two seasons. Western Michigan cornerback Londen Fryar (5-11, 192, Sr) earns first-team honors as the anchor of an impressive Western Michigan secondary. Fryar recorded 63 tackles at corner last season and was credited with 16 pass breakups. Ball State's BJ Hill (5-7, 180, Sr) also earns preseason honors at cornerback after starting thirteen games last season for the Cardinals and racking up 77 tackles and five interceptions.
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First-Team Specialists
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|
Pos
|
Player
|
School
|
Height
|
Weight
|
Class
|
|
PK
|
Sinisa Vrvilo
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Bowling Green
|
6-1
|
234
|
Sr
|
|
P
|
Chris Miller
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Ball State
|
6-2
|
211
|
Sr
|
|
KR
|
Bryan Williams
|
Akron
|
6-0
|
200
|
Jr
|
|
PR
|
Andre Jones
|
Akron
|
5-11
|
185
|
Sr
|
First Team Special Teams
Akron returns two of the nation's most productive return specialists from last season, earning both players preseason All-MAC first team honors. Bryan Williams (6-0, 200, Jr) is the nation's leading kickoff return specialist after finishing second in the nation last season, averaging 31.9 yards per return which included a 95-yard TD return. Fellow Zips return specialist, Andre Jones (5-11, 185, Sr) earns our nod at handling punt returns after the fleet-footed Jones averaged a MAC-best 14.5 yards per return and finished 11th nationally among all punt return specialists.
The kicking side of our special teams selections features Ball State's Chris Miller (6-2, 211, Sr), an All-American candidate at punter. Miller, for the second straight year has been named Playboy All-American and earned MAC first-team honors last season after ranking third in the nation in 2007 by averaging 45.4 yards per punt. Miller also displayed uncanny accuracy by placing more than one-third of his kicks inside the opponents' twenty-yard line. Rounding out our special teams honorees is Bowling Green placekicker Sinisa Vrvilo (6-1, 234, Sr) who came on strong as a JUCO transfer last season and solidified a struggling Falcons' kicking game by nailing 15-19 field goal efforts and a perfect 47-47 PAT efforts.
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Second-Team Offense
|
|
Pos
|
Player
|
School
|
Height
|
Weight
|
Class
|
|
QB
|
Nate Davis
|
Ball State
|
6-2
|
217
|
Jr
|
|
RB
|
Justin Anderson
|
Northern Illinois
|
5-11
|
222
|
Jr
|
|
RB
|
Brandon West
|
Western Michigan
|
5-10
|
188
|
Jr
|
|
WR
|
Stephen Williams
|
Toledo
|
6-5
|
199
|
Jr
|
|
WR
|
Jamarko Simmons
|
Western Michigan
|
6-2
|
234
|
Sr
|
|
TE
|
Andrew Mooney
|
Ohio
|
6-3
|
236
|
Sr
|
|
OL
|
Colin Miller
|
Central Michigan
|
6-3
|
280
|
So
|
|
OL
|
Dave DiFranco
|
Miami
|
6-4
|
300
|
Sr
|
|
OL
|
Chris Kemme
|
Akron
|
6-6
|
305
|
Sr
|
|
OL
|
TJ Lang
|
Eastern Michigan
|
6-3
|
307
|
Sr
|
|
OL
|
Jeff Niedermier
|
Buffalo
|
6-3
|
310
|
Sr
|
|
Second-Team Defense
|
|
Pos
|
Player
|
School
|
Height
|
Weight
|
Class
|
|
DL
|
Ryan Bain
|
Akron
|
6-2
|
305
|
Jr
|
|
DL
|
Jameson Hartke
|
Ohio
|
6-4
|
265
|
Sr
|
|
DL
|
Diyral Briggs
|
Bowling Green
|
6-4
|
230
|
Sr
|
|
DL
|
Terrance Knighton
|
Temple
|
6-4
|
295
|
Sr
|
|
LB
|
Joey Hudson
|
Miami
|
6-2
|
231
|
Sr
|
|
LB
|
Derek Burrell
|
Kent State
|
6-2
|
240
|
Sr
|
|
LB
|
Bryant Haines
|
Ball State
|
6-5
|
223
|
Sr
|
|
DB
|
Ryan Downard
|
Eastern Michigan
|
6-1
|
201
|
So
|
|
DB
|
PJ Mahone
|
Bowling Green
|
5-11
|
201
|
Jr
|
|
DB
|
Mark Parson
|
Ohio
|
5-10
|
192
|
Sr
|
|
DB
|
EJ Biggers
|
Western Michigan
|
6-0
|
180
|
Sr
|
|
Second-Team Specialists
|
|
Pos
|
Player
|
School
|
Height
|
Weight
|
Class
|
|
PK
|
Alex Steigerwald
|
Toledo
|
5-11
|
181
|
Jr
|
|
P
|
Jake Richardson
|
Miami
|
6-1
|
198
|
Sr
|
|
KR
|
Antonio Brown
|
Central Michigan
|
5-11
|
175
|
So
|
|
PR
|
Chris Garrett
|
Ohio
|
5-8
|
178
|
Jr
|
|
Preseason All-MAC Breakdown by School
|
|
School
|
First Team
|
Second Team
|
Total
|
|
Ball State
|
5
|
2
|
7
|
|
Akron
|
3
|
2
|
5
|
|
Central Michigan
|
3
|
2
|
5
|
|
Miami
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
|
Western Michigan
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
|
Ohio
|
0
|
4
|
4
|
|
Bowling Green
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
Buffalo
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
Eastern Michigan
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
Kent State
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
Northern Illinois
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
Temple
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
Toledo
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
Looking for the most in-depth preview of the upcoming MAC football season? MAC Report Online's "2008 MAC Football Preview," the only publication dedicated exclusively to previewing the MAC, will be released July 7 for download for only $4.95. Featuring team previews, player features and insider information, don't miss out on this necessary addition to any MAC football fanatic's preseason library. Check back at www.macreportonline.com starting July 7 to get your copy.
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