RUSTON – The awards continue to roll in for a certain group of Louisiana Tech football players as eight Bulldogs were named to the Phil Steele All-CUSA Postseason Team.
Tru Edwards and
David Blay earned first team honors while
Kolbe Fields was named to the second team.
Bert Hale,
Zach Zimos and
Demarcus Griffin-Taylor earned third team recognition, rounded out by
Jessie Evans and
Solo Lewis on the fourth team.
Edwards earned First Team honors after leading the team in receptions (85), yards (989) and touchdown receptions (six). He played in all 13 games with 12 starts and finished first in CUSA in receptions and second in yards. The third-year Bulldog caught multiple passes in 12 games and registered 5+ receptions 11 times. He recorded four 100+ yard receiving games and two games with multiple scores. Edwards hauled in 10 receptions of 20+ yards and four of 40+ yards, including 71, 75 and 86, all of which he scored on.
Blay was named to the First Team after starting in all 12 regular season games at defensive tackle and leading the defensive front with 46 tackles. The breakout performer led the team in tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (6.5), while finishing third in CUSA in both categories. Blay tallied six stops in in four different games and registered multiple tackles in 11 games. He recorded at least one sack in five of the final six games.
Fields earned a spot on the second time at linebacker after finishing second on the team with 71 stops despite missing the final two games of the season. The New Orleans native registered nine tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, one pass breakup and three quarterback hurries. Fields tallied double-digit tackles three times with a season-high 12 stops in the opener versus Nicholls. He finished with 5+ tackles in seven games.
Hale was one of two LA Tech offensive lineman to start in all 12 games during the regular season on his way to earning Third Team recognition. He helped pave the way for seven 100+ yard rushing games and three 200+ yard games. Hale helped pass block for an offensive unit that ranked fourth in the CUSA with 228.0 passing yards per outing during the regular season.
Zimos was named to the third team after leading the Bulldogs with 84 tackles. The redshirt senior played in all 13 games with 12 starts and registered six tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble six quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and one safety. He tallied a season-high 14 stops versus Tulsa, while notching 10+ tackles in four games, including three straight 10 tackles performances to finish the season.
Griffin-Taylor earned Third Team honors as a kickoff return man after leading the team with 23 returns for 583 yards. The California native averaged 25.35 yards per return and registered five returns of 30+ yards. He recorded a season-high 58-yard return against MTSU. Griffin-Taylor finished with 97 yards on four attempts versus Tulsa and finished with 83 yards on three returns in the Independence Bowl.
Evans earned Fourth Team honors at defensive end after playing in all 13 games with 11 starts. The second-year Bulldog finished his final season with 40 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, and four quarterback hurries. He logged a season-high seven tackles against NMSU and finished with multiple stops in 11 games. Evans registered at least a half tackle for loss in seven games.
Lewis was named to the Fourth Team as a punt returner after registering 13 returns for 218 yards. The Lake Charles native tallied 218 punt return yards for an average of 16.76 yards per return. He recorded a season-high 93 return yards in the finale over Kennesaw which included a season-long return of 49 yards.
