Elon's Nkang, and Appalachian State's Williams and Hunter Highlight 2005 Football Gazette Southeast All-Region Team

WESTMONT, Illinois ~~ Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Chad Nkang from Elon University, and Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Richie Williams from Appalachian State along with teammate, Jason Hunter headline a talented 2005 Don Hansen's Football Gazette NCAA 1-AA Southeast All-Region team.

Nkang earned Defensive Linebacker of the Year while Williams claimed the Offensive Back of the Year Award and Hunter was awarded Defensive Lineman of the Year. Senior Quinton Teal from Coastal Carolina earned Defensive Back of the Year honors, while Wesley Taylor from Florida A&M claimed Special Teams of the Year honors. Hampton's Gerell Golightly is the Offensive Lineman of the year and Offensive Receiver Player of the Year Accolades go to Maurice Price from Charleston Southern.

Nkang, a junior, from Hyattsville, Maryland, led both the Southern Conference and the NCAA-IAA with 13.82 total tackles per contest. He paced the conference and finished third in the country with 6.64 solo tackles per game. Nkang concluded the season with 152 total tackles, including 73 solo stops and 18.5 tackles for loss. He also added four sacks and 18 tackles for loss. His 25 tackles against Chattanooga ranks him among the top 10 in the conference records for tackles in a game. The 2005 Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for both September and October in 2005. He also scored a safety at Wofford on October 8, 2005.

Williams, a senior, from Camden, South Carolina, is the 2005 Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Williams led the Southern Conference and ranks among the top 15 in the nation in both total offense (3,745 yds.) and pass efficiency (149.4). The first quarterback in Appalachian history to throw for 7,000 yards in a career and the school's all-time leader in every single-game, single-season and career passing category, Williams has thrown for 2,809 yards with 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season. A dual threat, Williams has also set ASU's single-season quarterback record with 936 rushing yards in '05 and finished just 10 yards short of the school's career mark for rushing yards by a signal-caller. For his efforts, Williams earned five SoCon Offensive Player of the Week accolades and both of the league's Offensive Player of the Month awards during the regular season.

Hunter, a senior, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, tallied 101 tackles (51 solo hits), including 24.5 tackles for loss (-120 yards) with 13 sacks (-93 yards) in helping Appalachian State to the NCAA 1-AA national championship. He also forced two fumbles, recovered three fumbles for 20 yards, including two for touchdowns. Hunter concluded his career at Appalachian State with four pass breakups and one interception that he returned for 57 yards. First-Team all-Southland Conference.

You can view the whole 2005 Football Gazette NCAA 1-AA Southeast All-Region Team at http://www.donhansen.com/

This release was published on openPR.