The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Longhorns earn AT&T All-Big 12 awards
11.28.2006 | Football
IRVING, Texas -- The Big 12 Conference announced the AT&T All-Big 12 Conference football teams and individual award winners today, and The University of Texas was well represented.
Senior OG/T Justin Blalock was named Offensive Lineman of the Year, redshirt freshman QB Colt McCoy was tabbed Offensive Freshman of the Year, and 12 Longhorns were selected to the all-conference team, including five on the first team.
McCoy becomes the sixth UT player to earn Offensive Freshman of the Year honors, which is the most of any school. RB Jamaal Charles (2005), QB Vince Young (2003), RB Cedric Benson (2001), WR Roy Williams (2000) and QB Major Applewhite (1998) are the others.
Blalock becomes the first recipient of the Offensive Lineman of the Year award, which is new to the conference this season. He was also named to the AT&T All-Big 12 First Team for the third straight year, making him only the third player in UT history to accomplish that, along with RB Ricky Williams (1996-98) and LB Derrick Johnson (2002-04). Blalock is also a finalist for both the Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman) and the Outland Trophy (nation's best interior lineman).
The 2006 first team also includes senior S Michael Griffin, senior CB Aaron Ross, senior OG Kasey Studdard and junior WR Limas Sweed. Griffin and Studdard both were named to the second team in 2005, while Sweed was tabbed honorable mention that season. Ross is also a finalist for the Thorpe Award (nation's top defensive back).
In addition to his defensive honors, Ross was named to the second team as a punt returner and was joined on that team by senior DE Tim Crowder and senior C Lyle Sendlein. Ross, Crowder and Sendlein all earned honorable mention honors last season. Crowder is also a finalist for the Hendricks Award (nation's top defensive end), while Sendlein is a candidate for the Rimington Trophy (nation's top center).
The honorable mention team included McCoy, junior OT Tony Hills, junior WR Billy Pittman and senior DE Brian Robison. It is the second straight year for Pittman and Robison on the honorable mention team.
