2009 All-OVC Football Team
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo won his third Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year honor and the Panthers placed four players on the OVC first team as the league announced its 2009 football All-OVC team on Tuesday afternoon. EIU will represent the OVC in the FCS playoffs this weekend when they face No. 3 seed Southern Illinois at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Carbondale, Ill.
The four first team players for Eastern Illinois were center Chaz Millard, defensive tackle Trevor Frericks, cornerback CJ James and kicker Austin Signor.
The Panthers also placed six players on the OVC second team with quarterback Jake Christensen, running back Mon Williams, offensive guard Willie Henderson, offensive tackle Chris Campbell, defensive end Perry Burge and cornerback Rashad Haynes all being honored. Christensen and Williams were also named to the OVC All-Newcomer team.
Millard earned his third first team All-OVC honor as the senior from St. Charles, Ill., was honored at center. Millard was a first-team selection at right guard in 2007 and 2008 earning honorable mention All-American honors both seasons. Millard graded out at 88 percent for the season with 61 decleater blocks. He has a streak of 37 straight games in which he has not allowed a sack.
Frericks earned first team honors for the first time as the senior from Quincy, Ill., was an anchor at defensive tackle. Frericks led the Panthers with 15.5 tackles for loss including a school record seven tackles for loss in the regular-season finale. He currently ranks third in the OVC in tackles for loss and 18th nationally. Frericks is sixth on the team with 39 tackles.
James earned first team honors for the first time as the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., product led the Panthers in interceptions. James had a team high 5 interceptions including two returned for touchdowns as he currently ranks 18th nationally in interceptions. He is ranked third nationally in interception return yards at 152. James has 41 tackles this season with two sacks and four pass break-ups.
Signor earned first team honors for the first time as the Urbandale, Iowa, native took over all kicking duties in 2009. Signor led the nation in kickoffs for touchback with 25 and led the Panthers in scoring with 75 points. He was perfect on extra point attempts going 33-for-33 and was 14-of-22 in field goal attempts. His 14 field goals ranks fifth on the EIU single season list. Signor led the OVC in field goals and ranked 20th nationally.
Spoo earned his third OVC Coach of the Year honor after guiding EIU to the outright OVC championship. He previously won the award in 2001 and 2005. Earlier this week he was named one of twenty finalists for Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award presented by Sports Network. Spoo was the 2000 runner-up for the Robinson Award and was the 1995 Football Gazette I-AA National Coach of the Year.
Christensen earned second team honors after the graduate student from Lockport, Ill., transferred in from Iowa in August. Christensen passed for 2,191 yards and 19 touchdowns as he ranked 30th nationally in passing efficiency and 50th nationally in total offense. His 19 touchdown passes are tied for 10th on the EIU single season list. Against UT Martin on Nov. 14, Christensen had a pass efficiency rating of 277.37 which ranked sixth best in the FCS this season. Christensen was also named to the All-OVC Newcomer list.
Williams, a transfer from Florida, carried most of the rushing load for the Panthers as the junior from Mesquite, Texas earned second team All-OVC honors. Williams rushed for 763 yards with a pair of games over the 100-yard mark. He was 4th in the OVC in rushing and ranks 49th nationally. Williams scored 9 rushing touchdowns which was second highest in the OVC. He was also named to the All-OVC Newcomer list.
Campbell earned second team All-OVC honors at left tackle as the senior from Chicago graded out at 82 percent for the season. He ranked second on the Panthers squad with 46 decleater blocks.
Henderson earned second team All-OVC honors after moving over to right guard after playing some center last season. The redshirt sophomore from Lafayette, Ind., moved into the starting line-up midway through the season and led the team grading out at 89 percent. He was credited with 33 decleater blocks.
Burge earned second team honors as the sophomore from Bolingbrook, Ill., became the Panthers top rushing defensive end. Burge led EIU with five sacks for 29 yards which ranked third in the OVC. He made 27 tackles and was credited with six quarterback hurries and 6.5 tackles for loss.
Haynes was a second team All-OVC recipient for the second time in his career as the junior from Rockledge, Fla., was also a second-team selection in 2007. Haynes entered the season as the Panthers top shutdown corner and led EIU with 11 pass break-ups. He had only one interception on the season which he returned for a touchdown as he moved up to 7th on the EIU career interceptions list. Haynes was fourth on the team with 43 tackles.
The 2009 OVC Offensive Player of the Year was Ryan Perrilloux of Jacksonville State while Murray State's Austen Lane was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Year. Eastern Kentucky quarterback T.J. Pryor was named OVC Freshman of the Year.
