Marshall University Athletics
Herd Football Banquet Rewards Title Team
12/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University's Conference USA championship team finished a week of honors Saturday night with the annual Football Team Banquet staged by the Big Green Scholarship Foundation.
About 340 attended the banquet for the 12-1 Herd in the Don Morris Room of the Memorial Student Center on campus.
The Team MVP went to senior quarterback Rakeem Cato, while the Defensive MVP was senior linebacker Neville Hewitt. The Offensive MVP was junior running back Devon Johnson. All three were All-Conference USA first team honorees earlier in the week.
The coaches selected the Special Teams MVP honor, which sent to senior place-kicker Justin Haig, who one week earlier won the MVP award in the C-USA Championship Game. Haig kicked four field goals in Marshall's title win.
The players also voted in six team captains for the season, after Holliday and his staff picked game captains during the regular season. The season captains - who will serve as captains for the Dec. 23 Boca Raton Bowl against Northern Illinois - are seniors Cato, Hewitt, center Chris Jasperse, slot receiver/punt returner Tommy Shuler, defensive tackle James Rouse and cornerback Darryl Roberts.
Other awards:
Senior Scholar Award (highest GPA/toughest major) - OT Trevor Mendelson (4.0 in MBA).
Jim Conard Award (top offensive lineman) - C Chris Jasperse, senior.
Offensive and Defensive Gridiron Gladiators (relentless, gives everything all of the time) - OT Clint Van Horn, junior; DT James Rouse, senior.
Tom Stark Award (defensive player on/off field who gives his all) - CB Darryl Roberts, senior.
Chad Pennington Award (offensive player on/off field who gives his all - TE Eric Frohnapfel, senior.
The Scout Team Players of the Year (players that gave the opposite side of the ball the best `look' in practice) went to two FBS transfers who sat out the 2014 Herd season.
The Defensive Scout award went to quarterback Michael Birdsong, a James Madison transfer who will be a junior in the 2015 season. The Offensive Scout award was won by linebacker Shawn Petty, a Maryland transfer who will also be a Herd junior next season.
