Demon Football | 12/25/2018 8:30:00 AM

NATCHITOCHES -- Northwestern State's Jazz Ferguson is the Offensive Player of the Year on the 2018 All-Louisiana Collegiate Football Team and a unanimous first-team selection at receiver in voting by a Louisiana Sports Writers Association media panel.

Demons sophomore safety Hayden Bourgeois had his own breakout season and was a near-unanimous first-team pick on defense, while kickoff returner Myles Ward earned second-team All-Louisiana recognition and was a close runner-up (8-6) for state Freshman of the Year honors.

Additionally, junior offensive lineman Dustin Burns and junior quarterback Shelton Eppler were honorable mention selections, getting mentioned on at least 25 percent of the ballots cast. Eppler challenged LSU's Joe Burrow for state Newcomer of the Year accolades, getting outpolled 13-8.

Former Demon defensive lineman and assistant coach Ed Orgeron, in his second full season as head coach at LSU, shared state Coach of the Year honors with Tim Rebowe of Nicholls.

The All-Louisiana Team for 2018 was released on Christmas, as is traditional, by the LSWA. Voting was done by media and sports information contacts around the state.

Ferguson, who began his college career at LSU, made a year's wait worth it at NSU. After a season on the scout team in 2017 establishing his academic eligibility, he set six school records while earning All-America and Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors with 1,117 yards receiving on 66 catches, scoring 13 touchdowns and averaging 101.5 yards receiving per game for the Demons.

The 6-5, 220-pounder from St. Francisville and West Feliciana High School ranked in the NCAA FCS top 20 nationally in four stats: sixth in receiving TDs, ninth in receiving yards, 14^th in receiving yards per game, and 20^th in receptions per game  (6.0). In his only year at NSU, having set his sights toward the NFL Draft, Ferguson was a key figure as the Demons were sixth nationally in team pass yards per game (320.9).
 
Ferguson's six school records: yards in a season, TD catches, receiving yards per game, 100-yard receiving games (six), TD catches in a game (three, at Abilene Christian). Following a two-point conversion catch with 27 seconds left to force overtime vs. No. 18 McNeese on Nov. 10 in Turpin Stadium, his two catches in the second OT, a 19-yarder down the middle followed immediately by a six-yard fade route, won the game. Ferguson made an instant slash with a  season long 71-yard catch and run for a touchdown in the opener at Texas A&M.
 
Bourgeois (5-11, 184) came up with five interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a blocked field goal while making a team-high 83 tackles (43 solo), with five stops for lost yards. He scored on a 55-yard interception return against nationally-ranked Sam Houston State to give NSU a halftime lead.
 
The Church Point native, a high school star at Notre Dame of Crowley, was named a Sophomore All-American by Hero Sports and earned first-team All-Southland Conference honors.
 
He ranked third in the FCS in takeaways, eighth in interceptions and 21^st fumble recoveries. His blocked field goal was a game-saver ending the first overtime against 18^th-ranked McNeese, giving the Demons opportunity to secure a 37-34 double OT win.
 
The first-year secondary starter keyed a Purple Swarm defense that ranked third in the FCS in turnovers forced (26), third in fumble recoveries (13) and seventh in fourth-down defense (28.6% conversions allowed).
 
Ward, a 5-10, 184-pound redshirt freshman speedster from Harvey and De La Salle High School, owned a 25.6 average on 28 kickoff returns that ranked 21^st nationally, second in the Southland. He had a 94-yard touchdown runback to open the second half in the season finale at Stephen F. Austin to start a winning rally from a 16-7 deficit.

Burns (6-4, 287) became the Demons' most productive offensive lineman in the first half of the season before getting a season-ending injury two snaps into the seventh game. He started seven times, playing both guard and tackle, and his 19.3 average of knockdown blocks (116 total) was best by any NSU offensive lineman who played at least half the year.

With the Beaumont-West Brook High product contributing, the Demons ranked sixth in FCS with 320.9 passing yards per game. NSU (5-6) came within three points (a 49-47 loss at Abilene Christian) of its first winning season since 2008.
 
Earlier this month, Burns graduated with 3.71 GPA in biology and will return for his senior season in 2019.
 
Eppler started nine games, missing two in midseason due to a concussion, and spearheaded an explosive NSU attack with 2,639 passing yards, an average of 293.2.  The Navasota, Texas native, who transferred from Trinity Valley Community College, threw 26 TD passes and set a single-season school record with a 148.32 pass efficiency rating. He completed 199 of 328 passes with a modest 10 interceptions.

The 6-1, 205-pounder led the Demons to 20 school offensive  records, including 10 he set. He was sixth in FCS in pass yards pg (293.2), ninth in points responsible for per game (17.6), 10^th in passing TDs (26,)  12^th in pass efficiency (148.32), 12^th in completions per game (22.1) and 31^st in completion percentage (60.7).
 
Eppler twice set a Demon single-game school record with six TD passes (vs. FCS playoff entry Lamar in a 49-48 win, later at at Abilene Christian in 49-47 loss). He helped NSU win three of its last four, including the double-overtime comeback win over McNeese.
 
Mindful that LSU's season soared past expectations and carried the Tigers among the nation's top teams while Nicholls won its first Southland Conference championship since 2005 and won a game in the FCS playoffs, voters on the All-Louisiana Collegiate Football Team amply acknowledged the state's most accomplished programs this fall.

LSU filled 10 of the 50 first and second-team spots while Nicholls had the second-most representatives, six.

Appropriately, LSU's Ed Orgeron and Tim Rebowe of Nicholls shared state Coach of the Year honors, tying in the balloting. It was the second straight year for Rebowe to capture the accolade.

LSU linebacker Devin White was a landslide pick as the All-Louisiana Defensive Player of the Year, while Tiger quarterback Joe Burrow won Newcomer of the Year honors. White was a repeat selection.

Southern's Jordan Lewis, a defensive lineman, took the All-Louisiana Freshman of the Year award by an 8-6 margin over Ward, with three other rookies splitting eight votes.

Orgeron led the Tigers (9-3) to a New Year's Day (Fiesta) bowl berth with four Top 25 wins, three over teams ranked in the Top 10. It was only the third LSU team ever to beat three Top 10 foes.

Rebowe's Colonels (9-4) were nationally-ranked all season, reaching as high as 10^th in the FCS polls, after kicking off the 2018 campaign with an upset win at Kansas.

White was among 15 players who were repeat picks from the 2017 team, including three other defenders who were first-team All-Louisiana for a second straight season: Louisiana Tech defensive end Jaylon Ferguson, Grambling linebacker De'Arius Christmas and LSU cornerback Greedy Williams. LSU punter Zach Von Rosenberg and Southeastern Louisiana kickoff returner Juwan Petit-Frere were also repeat first-team selections.

The Ferguson brothers, Jazz and Jaylon from St. Francisville-West Feliciana High, joined White (Springhill-North Webster HS) as the only three players chosen for first-team honors on every ballot.

White has collected 115 tackles in his junior season, earning the Butkus Award as the best linebacker in major college football. The first-team All-American has 12 tackles for loss, including four in the seven-overtime battle at Texas A&M among his career-best 17 stops.

Burrow's impact was immediate. The Ohio State transfer stepped in at quarterback for LSU and threw for 2,500 yards and 12 touchdowns, while running for seven more scores and 375 yards, becoming the first Tigers' quarterback to be such a productive passer and rush for at least 350 yards.

Southern's Lewis shifted down from linebacker to the defensive front in his first collegiate season and collected 12 sacks, forced two fumbles, blocked a kick, and recovered a fumble for a touchdown in his rookie campaign, helping the Jaguars to a Bayou Classic victory and a West Division Southwestern Athletic Conference title.


2018 All-Louisiana Collegiate Football Team
Chosen by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association's panel of media voters and SIDs
 
 
INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
COACH OF THE YEAR (tie) – Ed Orgeron, LSU; Tim Rebowe, Nicholls (11 votes each)
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Jazz Ferguson, WR, Northwestern State (12)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Devin White, LB, LSU (18 ½)
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – Joe Burrow, QB, LSU (13)
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Jordan Lewis, DL, Southern (8)

 
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
OL – Chandler Arceneaux, Nicholls, Sr., Bourg, La.; Kevin Dotson, UL Lafayette, Jr., Plaquemine, La.; O'Shea Dugas, Louisiana Tech, Sr., Lafayette, La. Ryan Hanley, Nicholls, Sr., Metairie, La.; Robert Hunt, UL Lafayette, Jr., Burkeville, Tex.
TE – Bransen Schwebel, Southeastern La., Jr., Amite, La.
QB – Chase Fourcade, Nicholls, Jr., Metairie, La.
WR – Jazz Ferguson, Northwestern State, Jr., St. Francisville, La.; Adrian Hardy, Louisiana Tech, So., Houston, Tex.
RB – Nick Brosette, LSU, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.; Trey Ragas, UL Lafayette, So., New Orleans, La.
 
DEFENSE
DL – Jaylon Ferguson, Louisiana Tech, Sr., St. Francisville, La.; Patrick Johnson, Tulane, So., Chattanooga, Tenn.; Rashad Lawrence, LSU, Jr., Monroe, La.; Sully Laiche, Nicholls, Jr., Gramercy, La.
LB – BJ Blunt, McNeese, Sr., New Orelans, La.; De'Arius Christmas, Grambling, Sr., Vicksburg, Miss.; Devin White, LSU, Jr., Springhill, La.
DB – Hayden Bourgeois, Northwestern State, So., Church Point, La.; Grant Delpit, LSU, So., Houston, Tex.; Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech, So., Thibodaux, La.; Greedy Williams, LSU, So., Shreveport, La.
 
SPECIALISTS
P – Zach Von Rosenberg, LSU, So., Lake Charles, La.
K – Cole Tracy, LSU, Sr., Camarillo, Cal.
RS – Juwan Petit-Frere, Southeastern La., Jr., Orlando, Fla.
 
 
 
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
OL – Garrett Brumfield, LSU, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.; Grant Burguillos, McNeese, Jr., Mandeville, La.; Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU, So.,  Geismar, La.; Damien Lewis, LSU, Jr., Canton, Miss.;  Bobby Reynolds, ULM, Jr., Keller, Tex.
TE – Foster Moreau, LSU, Sr., New Orleans, La.
QB – Joe Burrow, LSU, Jr., The Plains, Ohio
WR – Marcus Green, ULM, Sr., Pontotoc, Miss.; Drake Battaglia, Louisiana College, Sr., Thibodaux, La.
RB – Darius Bradwell, Tulane, Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.; Elijah Mitchell, UL Lafayette, So., Erath, La.
 
DEFENSE
DL – Jordan Bradford, Louisiana Tech, Sr., Bay St. Louis, Miss.; Terrence Garnett Jr., Louisiana College, Freshman, Alexandria, La.; Jordan Lewis, Southern, Fr., Ocala, Fla.; Chris Livings, McNeese, Jr., Lake Charles, La.
LB – David Griffith, ULM, Sr., Plano, Tex.; Tamarcus Russell, Southeastern La., Sr., Dadeville, Ala.; Evan Veron, Nicholls, Jr., LaPlace, La.
DB – Colby Burton, McNeese, Donnie Lewis Jr., Tulane, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.; Joseph McWilliams, Grambling, Jr., Baton Rouge, La.; Roderic Teamer, Tulane, Sr. New Orleans, La.
 
SPECIALISTS
P – Alex Kjellsten, McNeese, Sr., Lake Charles, La.
K – Lorran Fonseca, Nicholls, Sr., Hercules, Cal.
RS – Myles Ward, Northwestern State, Fr., New Orleans, La.
 
 
HONORABLE MENTION (received 25% of votes cast)

OL – Pat Allen, Southeastern La.; Dustin Burns, Northwestern State; T.J. Fialoa, ULM; Eddie Houston, Nicholls; John Leglue, Tulane; Ethan Reed, Louisiana Tech; Kody Russey, Louisiana Tech
QB – Shelton Eppler, Northwestern State
WR – Teddy Veal, Louisiana Tech
RB – Dontrell Taylor, Nicholls
 
DEFENSE
DL -  Anfernee Mullins, Grambling; Ronald Ollie, Nicholls; Immanuel Turner, Louisiana Tech
LB – Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, Southeastern La.; Micheal Divinity, LSU; Zachery Harris, Tulane; Orel Ledet Jr., Louisiana College; Jacob Phillips, LSU
DB – Percy Cargo, Grambling; James Jackson, Louisiana Tech; Ahmani Martin, Nicholls; Khristian Mims, Nicholls