Furman Places 14 On All-Southern Conference Team

Nov. 22, 2005

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Fourteen Furman Paladins have been named the 2005 All-Southern Conference football team, it was announced today.

In voting by league media, eight Paladins were named to the league's first team, and six garnered second team accolades.

Earning first team honors were wide receiver Justin Stepp, tight end John Rust, offensive tackle John Kivett, offensive guard Patrick Covington, center Corey Stewart, placekicker Scott Beckler, linebacker William Freeman, and punter Ingle Martin.

Furman's second team honorees include Martin at quarterback, offensive guard Brian Laggis, fullback Jerome Felton, defensive end Roy Ravenell, linebacker Andrew Jones, and cornerback Austin Holmes.

Stepp has totaled a team leading 33 receptions for 493 yards and SoCon best seven touchdown catches, and Rust 28 receptions and three touchdowns this fall.

Furman's all-conference offensive line contingent of Kivett, Covington, Stewart, and Laggis has played key roles on a Paladin offensive unit that currently ranks second nationally in total offense (483.5 ypg) and averages 38.8 point per game.

Beckler has converted 12-of-17 field goals this year and tops the league in kick scoring (84 points).

Defensively, William Freeman ranks as Furman's second leading tackler with 97 stops, including 12 for-loss, and has two blocked field goals, including a 41-yard attempt by Appalachian State on the game's final play that preserved a 34-31 Paladin win over the Mountaineers.

Martin, who tops the league in punting (43.1 avg.), also leads the SoCon in passing (218.5 ypg) and touchdown passes (18). Last Saturday he threw for a career high 323 yards and two touchdowns to headline a Paladin offensive attack that generated 662 total yards in a 56-35 win over Chattanooga. Now 19-5 in two seasons as the Paladins' starting quarterback, he has climbed to second place on the school's career passing yards (5,196), passing touchdowns (40), and total offense (5,629) ledgers.

Felton, Furman's leading rusher (684 yards) and the SoCon's top scoring running back (100 points), is the first Paladin fullback to capture all-conference honors since Kennet Goldsmith in 1988.

Ravenell has racked up 54 tackles, a pair of sacks, and a fumble recovery this fall, and Jones tops Furman's tackle chart with 99 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Holmes, who moved into the starting lineup three games into the campaign, paces Furman with seven pass deflections to go along with 46 tackles.

Ranked third nationally in this week's Sports Network poll, Furman, which posted a 9-2 regular season record and 5-2 SoCon mark, entertains 21st-ranked Nicholls State in NCAA I-AA first round playoff action this Saturday at Paladin Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m., and the contest will be televised by Comcast-Charter Sports Southeast (CSS).