Friday, December 7, 2007

Hudgins selected to Walter Camp All-America Team


NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Sophomore wide receiver Terrell Hudgins ( Rocky Mount, N.C./Rocky Mount) became just the second Elon University football player – and first offensive Phoenix player – to ever be named to a Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America team when the 2007 squad was announced Friday.

The team was selected by the head coaches and sports information directors of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision and certified by UHY Advisors, a New Haven-based accounting firm.

Dubbed a First Team All-Southern Conference athlete by both the league’s coaches and media last month, Hudgins was the lone sophomore to be chosen to the 27-player All-America squad. All other selections were either juniors or seniors. Former Elon linebacker and current Jacksonville Jaguar safety Chad Nkang – the only other Phoenix player tabbed to a Walter Camp team – earned the honor as a junior in 2005.

Behind Hudgins’ leadership, Elon finished the regular season ranked 21st in the FCS Coaches' poll and 23rd in The Sports Network's poll last month. Earlier this fall, the Phoenix ranked as high as 14th in the TSN poll and as high as 15th in the FCS poll.

Elon ended the 2007 regular season ranked second in the nation in passing offense, 14th in scoring offense, 16th in passing efficiency and 20th in total offense.Hudgins concluded the regular season leading the country in both receptions per game (10.6) and receiving yards per game (134.0) and ranked 11th in the nation in scoring with 9.8 points per outing.

A Second Team All-America selection by The Associated Press last year, Hudgins hauled in a program-record 16 receptions against both Liberty and Furman this fall. He also caught an Elon-record four touchdown passes against Liberty.

With 117 catches on the season, Hudgins came away with both a Phoenix and a SoCon single-season milestone in 2007. He also set new Elon single-season plateaus with 1,474 receiving yards and 18 touchdown receptions this season.

The Walter Payton Award finalist holds a SoCon single-season record with seven games of receiving for 100 or more yards. Hudgins earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Week status once and National Offensive Player of the Week recognition twice in 2007.

The receiving duo of Hudgins and senior Michael Mayers ( Virginia Beach , Va. /Landstown) established an NCAA single-season milestone for the most receptions (207) by two teammates as well as the SoCon single-season plateau for the most receiving yards (2,528) by two teammates this fall. The previous NCAA record was 189 receptions by Mississippi Valley State 's Jerry Rice and Joe Thomas in 1984.