RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 25, 2014) – William and Mary senior defensive end Mike Reilly and senior placekicker John Carpenter were selected as the 2014 Colonial Athletic Association Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Year, respectively, as they highlighted a group of 10 Tribe standouts who combined to garner 12 all-conference honors based on voting by the league's 12 head coaches.
Carpenter's selection marks the fifth consecutive season in which a W&M player has earned the CAA's top special teams honor – Jonathan Grimes (2010, 2011), B.W. Webb (2012) and Tre McBride (2014).
Reilly and Carpenter were joined on the All-CAA First Team by senior wide receiver Tre McBride, junior running back Mikal Abdul-Saboor, junior center Andrew Jones and junior linebacker Luke Rhodes. The six first-team all-league selections equal the most in school history.
Senior fullback Darnell Laws and junior cornerback DeAndre Houston-Carson both garnered second-team honors, while senior linebacker Airek Green and senior safety Ivan Tagoe earned third-team distinction.
A complete list of the all-conference teams are available here.
One of the nation's best defensive players during the past two seasons, Reilly earned the league's top defensive honor and garnered first-team all-league accolades for the second consecutive season after ranking 13th in the country with 0.92 sacks per game. Additionally, the Buchanan Award Watch List selection ranked second in the CAA with 11.0 sacks – a figure that ranks third on W&M's single-season list. Reilly's stats also included 41 tackles, 12.0 TFL, eight quarterback hurries, two PBU, a forced fumble and a block.
In addition to totaling 22.5 sacks during the past two seasons – the most in school history during a two-year span – Reilly finished his career with 27 sacks, which ranks second at W&M.
A third-team all-conference choice last season, Carpenter was honored as the CAA's top special teams performer this fall after ranking third nationally in made field goals per game (1.8). Additionally, the Cumberland, Md., native led the CAA in scoring among kickers (7.8) and field goal percentage (78.3), while his 18 made field goals ranks tied for fourth on the program's single-season list. En route to posting the impressive figures, he was chosen as the CAA Special Teams Player of the Week twice and garnered Fred Mitchell Award recognition multiple times.
One of the most productive kickers in school history, Carpenter finished his career with 36 made field goals – the sixth most in school history.
One of the nation's most dynamic playmakers, McBride earned all-conference distinction for the third consecutive season after ranking second in the CAA with 131.2 all-purpose yards per game. The McDonough, Ga., native also ranked third in the league in both receptions per game (5.8) and receiving yards per game (73.5), while he finished the season with 64 catches for 809 yards and four touchdowns. Highlighting his performances was an 11-catch, 209-yard effort versus Villanova.
In addition to ranking second at W&M in career receptions (196), McBride also ranks fifth in receiving yards (2,653), tied for sixth in touchdown catches (19), fifth in all-purpose yards (4,281) and fifth in kickoff return yards (1,294). Additionally, he totaled six postseason All-CAA honors during his career.
After earning third-team all-league honors last season, Abdul-Saboor emerged as one of the country's elite running backs this fall. En route to garnering first-team All-CAA distinction, he led the conference with 115.1 rushing yards per game – a figure that ranked 14th nationally. Additionally, his 12 rushing touchdowns were tied for the most in the conference while his 125.5 all-purpose yards per game ranked third. The Alpharetta, Ga., native rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the final five games and totaled 1,266 yards on the ground – the sixth-best single-season figure in school history. Highlighting his performances was a 198-yard effort in the win versus Delaware and a 189-yard showing in the victory against Elon, which both ranked among the top-10 single-game rushing totals in school history.
A preseason all-conference selection, Jones met those lofty expectations this fall and earned first-team All-CAA distinction. In addition to anchoring the Tribe's offensive line, which experienced tremendous adversity due to multiple injuries, the Naples, Fla., native helped Abdul-Saboor become the league's leading rusher.
Rhodes garnered first-team all-conference honors for the second consecutive season after leading W&M with 93 tackles. The team captain also totaled 7.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks, five PBU, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery en route to earning the third All-CAA accolade of his career. Highlighting his performances this fall were 11-tackle efforts at Virginia Tech and New Hampshire.
One of the league's top fullbacks during the past two seasons, Laws earned second-team distinction this fall after garnering third-team honors in 2013. The Sicklerville, N.J., native totaled three catches for 16 yards with a touchdown and was instrumental in helping Abdul-Saboor become the CAA's leading rusher.
Despite missing the final three games due to injury, Houston-Carson earned all-conference distinction for the second consecutive season. At the time of suffering his injury, he ranked second nationally in blocks (four) and tied for second in the CAA in interceptions (three). Additionally, he ranked sixth in the league in tackles per game among defensive backs (7.4).
A prolific playmaker, Green earned all-conference honors for the second consecutive season after another tremendous campaign. Despite missing two games due to injury, the Chester, Va., native totaled 68 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions, eight PBU, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a block and a safety.
After emerging as one of the league's top safeties last season, Tagoe earned all-conference honors this fall with an impressive senior campaign. Although he missed two games due to injury, the Burtonsville, Md., native recorded 60 tackles, 2.0 TFL, an interception, two fumble recoveries (with 63 return yards) and a forced fumble. One of his most memorable highlights came in the win at Norfolk State when he returned a blocked field goal 66 yards for a touchdown.
