Ole Miss, Mississippi State land 10 players on All-SEC teams
Another successful year on the gridiron in Mississippi landed 10 players on the All-SEC first and second teams.
Ole Miss tied a school record with seven players honored, while Mississippi State had three. Alabama led the conference with 10 selections, the most by a team since the Tide and LSU had 11 and 10 respectively in 2011.
Ole Miss was represented on the first team by receiver Laquon Treadwell and defensive back Trae Elston. Tight end Evan Engram, quarterback Chad Kelly, defensive back Mike Hilton and defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche and Marquis Haynes.
Mississippi State landed receiver Fred Ross and quarterback Dak Prescott on the first team, and receiver De'Runnya Wilson on the second team.
Rebel numbers
Elston recorded four interceptions and returned two for touchdowns. He also ranked second in the SEC with 16 passes defended. Treadwell is the only SEC receiver to eclipse 1,000 yards (1,082) this season and has 76 receptions with eight touchdowns. Engram caught 32 passes for368 yards and two touchdowns. Haynes was disruptive along the line, registering a team-high 14 tackles for loss with nine sacks and three forced fumbles. Seen as Ole Miss' defensive leader, Hilton ranked third in the SEC with 13 passes defended. He also caught two interceptions and recorded 65 total tackles with 11 behind the line of scrimmage. Like Haynes, Nkemdiche was a handful for opposing linemen and recorded 29 tackles with seven TFLs and three sacks. He also registered seven QB hurries. Kelly wasted no time after transferring from East Mississippi. The Buffalo, N.Y., native leads the SEC in passing (311.7 yards per game), total offense (347.3 ypg) and points responsible for (222). He has also broken a handful of Ole Miss' single-season records, including total offense (4,167 yards), passing yards (3,740), touchdowns responsible for (37) and 300-yard passing games (7).
Lead Bulldogs
Mississippi State is the first team since Georgia in 2008 to have its quarterback and two receivers earn all-conference recognition.
Prescott broke his own single-season school records for completion percentage (66.9) and yards per game (284.4). Prescott led MSU with 3,413 yards passing and 25 touchdowns and also rushed for a team-high 541 yards and 10 scores. Ross and Wilson proved to be reliable targets. Ross caught 81 passes for 933 yards and four touchdowns. Wilson caught 55 passes for 822 yards and nine scores.
Familiar faces
The 2015 lists present nine honorees who have made multiple appearances on the teams. Florida's Vernon Hargreaves III earned first-team honors for the third-straight season, while Prescott and South Carolina's Pharoh Cooper both landed first-team laurels for the second-consecutive year. Three members of the first team made the jump from earning second-team honors in 2014, that list including Hunter Henry (Arkansas), Vadal Alexander (LSU) and Myles Garrett (Texas A&M).
Tennessee's Derek Barnett and Florida's Antonio Morrison both earned second-team honors for the second-straight season. Engram has made consecutive showings on the All-SEC teams, landing first-team honors last season.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
The SEC individual award winners will be released on Wednesday and the SEC All-Freshman Team will be announced on Thursday.
Mississippi State will wrap up its season Dec. 30 against N.C. State in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. Ole Miss will face Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1.
This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Ole Miss, Mississippi State land 10 players on All-SEC teams."