The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Eleven Longhorns named to All-Big 12 Coaches Team
12.03.2003 | Football
AUSTIN, Texas -- Eleven members of the sixth-ranked Texas Longhorns football team have been named to the coaches' All-Big 12 Conference teams, the conference office announced Tuesday evening.
Senior OG Tillman Holloway (Basalt, Colo.), senior DT Marcus Tubbs (DeSoto, Texas), senior CB Nathan Vasher (Texarkana, Texas) and junior LB Derrick Johnson (Waco, Texas) were first-team selections. Johnson, a Butkus Award finalist (nation's top linebacker) and recent selection to the Football Writers Association of America All-America team, earned first-team honors for the second consecutive year.
Holloway has started all 13 games at left guard this season, anchoring a line that has paved the way for the nation's fifth-ranked rushing offense (241.0 ypg) and fourth-ranked scoring offense (42.8 ppg). Holloway has started 36 games in his career.
Tubbs has started all 12 games at defensive tackle this season, recording 74 tackles (37 solo) to go along with 12 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 24 quarterback pressures.
Vasher, who was a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award (nation's top defensive back) this season, recorded his 17th career interception at Texas A&M, tying Noble Doss for UT's career record. It was Texas' longest-standing record, dating back 62 years to 1941, and also is a Big 12 record. Vasher recorded six of those interceptions this season (T-No. 6 on the UT all-time single-season list), to go along with 23 pass breakups (No. 2 on the UT all-time single-season list), giving him 61 for his career, another UT record. He also has registered 40 tackles, (33 solo) on the year.
Johnson, who is the first UT player ever named a Butkus Award finalist, leads Texas in tackles (116), solo tackles (75), tackles for loss (18) and fumble recoveries (3). Johnson also has tied the school record for interceptions by a linebacker with four, while ranking second on the team in pass breakups (8) to go along with nine quarterback pressures and one forced fumble.
Senior WR Roy Williams (Odessa, Texas) and junior RB Cedric Benson (Midland, Texas) were named to the second team. Williams was tabbed first-team All-Big 12 in 2001 and '02.
Williams, who was a Biletnikoff Award (nation's top receiver) semifinalist in 2003, led Texas in receptions (61), receiving yards (982) and touchdown receptions (8) for the fourth consecutive season with the exception of receptions in his freshman season. Williams is UT's career leader in receptions (232), receiving yards (3,769), touchdown receptions (35), and 100-yard receiving games (16).
Benson has played in 11 games this season, and ranks second in the Big 12 and 13th in the nation with 116.1 rushing yards per game. The junior back leads the nation in scoring at 11.6 points per game and his 20 rushing TDs are tied for tops nationally. He leads Texas with 236 carries, 1,277 rushing yards (No. 7 on UT's single-season rushing list) and 20 rushing touchdowns (No. 3 on UT's single-season list). Benson has rushed for over 100 yards six times in 2003, including each of the last five games. He had the fourth-best rushing performance in UT history by registering a career-high 283 yards at Texas A&M on Nov. 28. It was the highest rushing total ever allowed in a single game by the Aggies.
The Longhorn representatives on the third team are sophomore OT Jonathan Scott (Dallas, Texas) and sophomore DT Rodrique Wright (Houston, Texas). Scott has started all 12 games at left tackle, while Wright has matched Tubbs with 74 tackles, including 37 solo and 12 tackles for loss. He leads the team with 7.5 sacks and 29 quarterback pressures and has registered three passes batted down and two forced fumbles.
Honorable mention honors went to senior WR B.J. Johnson (Grand Prairie, Texas), senior DE Kalen Thornton (Dallas, Texas) and junior S Phillip Geiggar (Shreveport, La.). Johnson is second on the team with 27 receptions, 508 receiving yards and four touchdown catches, while Thornton has tallied 41 tackles with 30 solo, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, 20 quarterback pressures, three passes batted down, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Geiggar is second on the team in tackles with 79, including 62 solo and has started the last six games at free safety.
