Lindenwood redshirt freshman Denodus O'Bryant was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Player of the Year on Tuesday. Twenty-two players were also honored on the all-conference list and head coach Patrick Ross was named the HAAC Coach of the Year.
O'Bryant, who was also named first-team running back and honorable mention kickoff returner, averages 134.8 all-purpose yards a game and has scored 17 touchdowns in nine games. On offense, he is averaging 75.8 rushing yards a game and a NAIA best 10.5 yards per carry. O'Bryant has also caught 14 passes for 25.1 yards a game. He has only had the opportunity to return six kickoffs, but he averaged 50.8 yards a return before opposing teams stopped kicking to him. O'Bryant is averaging a touchdown every 5.1 time that he touches the ball this season and he has 10 rushing touchdowns, three receiving scores, three kickoff return touchdown and a fumble recovery score.
Also earning first-team honors were wide receiver Rudy Fleming, offensive center Jeff Hynes, and linebacker Logen Wright.
Fleming, who is just seven yards shy of Lindenwood's career receiving yards mark, has team-highs this year with 45 receptions and 845 receiving yards, and is tied for the team-high with seven touchdown receptions. He also has a rushing touchdown on the year and is tied for fourth on the team in scoring.
Hynes, last year's Rimington Award winner as the top center in the NAIA, is once again anchoring an offensive line that is helping the Lindenwood offense set a school record with 214.9 rushing yards a game and has only allowed 12 sacks on the year.
Wright is tied for the team-high in tackles with 57 and is the top run stopper with 41 tackles on rushes. He has one sack, five tackles for losses, one interception, and two pass breakups. He has also blocked four kicks on special teams and was named the Defensive Player of the Game last week in the first-round of the playoffs.
Second-team accolades went to quarterback Philip Staback, running back Richard Murrell, offensive linemen Jerry Martin and Mike Errante, defensive lineman Chidi Oteh, safety Brandon Gould, cornerback Adarrious Ross, and punter Nick Somes.
Staback is throwing for 239.0 yards a game and rushing for nearly 20 more on the ground. He has completed 67.6 percent of his passes and has 28 touchdown passes and five rushing touchdowns. He has only been intercepted five times on the year. Staback easily led the HAAC in pass completion percentage and touchdown-to-interception ratio while directing one of the top offenses in NAIA history.
Murrell is second on the team with nine rushing touchdowns and he is averaging 37.5 rushing yards a game. Over half of his carries have resulted in a first down or touchdown.
Martin and Errante have both started all 11 games on the right side of the offensive line, with Martin at right tackle and Errante at right guard. Oteh has started 10 games on the defensive line and has recorded 22 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
Gould leads the Lions with three interceptions, and he has also recorded 48 tackles, three tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and two blocked kicks. Ross has five pass breakups and one interception in seven games. He has 15 tackles on the year.
Somes is averaging 39.4 yards per punt. In 22 attempts, he has just one touchdown, eight fair catches, and nine inside the 20 yard line. He has two punts over 50 yards, including a season-high 70.
Lions earning third-team were wide receivers Roren Thomas (also third-team as punt returner), Matt Bramow, and Marcel Thompson, defensive lineman #T.J. Prell#, linebacker Parks Peterson, and placekicker Halley Ferrell.
Thomas is averaging 21.9 rushing yards and 33.1 receiving yards a game, and has five offensive touchdowns. He also has three special teams touchdowns and is averaging 25.4 yards per punt return and 28.4 yards per kickoff return.
Bramow and Thompson each have seven touchdown receptions. Bramow has caught 34 passes for 423 yards and Thompson has 40 receptions for 631 yards.
Prell has 38 tackles and leads Lindenwood with 11.0 tackles for loss. He has three sacks, two pass breakups and afumble recovery. Parks Peterson is tied for the team-high with 57 tackles. He has eight tackles for loss, one interception, one sack, three pass breakups, one forced fumble and two blocked kicks.
Ferrell has made seven-of-10 field goals and is 77-of-84 in field goal attempts, and he leads the nation in kicking points with 98.
Honorable mention honors went to offensive lineman Dan Jones, defensive lineman Alvin Davie, linebackers Dan Carlisle and Ryan Zimmerman, and safety Cody Fogle.
Jones started 10 games at left tackle for the offensive line. Davie has 22 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also has an interception, a forced fumble and three pass breakups. Carlisle had 54 tackles on the year and one pass breakup. Zimmerman has 32 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery. Fogle has made 51 tackles, intercepted two passes, and recovered one fumble.
Patrick Ross was named the Coach of the Year after leading Lindenwood to a perfect 10-0 HAAC season and the conference championship. It is the third time that he has won the HAAC Coach of the Year award and his fourth conference coach of the year honor in eight seasons as a head coach.
