Aug. 31, 2011
A herd of Mustangs appear on pre-season Award Watch Lists. Kyle Padron was named to the Davey O'Brien and Manning Award Watch Lists. Kelvin Beachum, Ja'Gared Davis, Taylor Reed and Taylor Thompson were named to the Watch List for the Lombardi Award. Beachum was been named to the Outland List, Thompson made the Nagurski Award List, Cole Beasley and Darius Johnson were named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, Zach Line was named to the Watch List for the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards, Thompson And Margus Hunt were selected to the Pony Express Award Watch List and Blake McJunkin was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List.
Kelvin Beachum - Lombardi Award, Outland Award
Beachum, a Mexia native, has started every game since for SMU over the past three seasons, twice earning All-C-USA honors. In 2011, Beachum blocked for an offense that totaled a school-record 3,861 passing yards and added 1,943 yards on the ground. Earlier this summer, Dave Campbell's Texas Football recognized Beachum as Texas' top offensive lineman.
Cole Beasley - Biletnikoff Award
Beasley, a native of Little Elm, started all 14 games at receiver in 2011 and earned second-team All-Conference USA accolades. He caught 87 passes and totaled 1,060 receiving yards, scoring six touchdowns on the season.
Ja'Gared Davis - Lombardi Award
Davis started 13 games in 2010 and saw action in all 14. The Crockett, Texas, native was named first-team Conference USA and was tabbed a CollegeFootballNews.com honorable mention All-American. He totaled 90 tackles, including 62 solos, and amassed nine sacks and 16 TFLs on the season
Margus Hunt - Pony Express Award
Hunt, a junior from Karksi-Nuia, Estonia, started 13 games in 2010. He was selected All-Conference USA honorable mention after recording three sacks, 45 tackles and 6.5 tackles-for-loss. He also blocked three kicks last season and has 10 blocked kicks for his career, which is sixth in NCAA history.
Darius Johnson - Biletnikoff Award
Johnson had 78 receptions for 845 yards and six touchdowns in 2011. The Missouri City native had a season-high 152 receiving yards in the Armed Forces Bowl and was named Team MVP for the Bowl.
Zach Line - Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award
Line, an Oxford, Mich., native was named first-team All-Conference USA in 2010 after rushing for 1,494 yards, the second-largest single-season total in school history, trailing only Eric Dickerson's 1,617 yards in 1982. The tally was 11th in the country, and Line averaged 6.1 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns on the year.
Blake McJunkin - Rimington Award
McJunkin, a 6-2, 290-lb. Plano native, started all 14 games at center for the Mustangs last season. He was named All-Conference USA honorable mention, blocking for an offense that totaled a school-record 3,861 passing yards and added 1,943 yards on the ground.
Kyle Padron - Davey O'Brien Award, Manning Award
Padron, from Southlake, started all 14 games last season and was named All-Conference USA honorable mention in 2010. He notched SMU records in passing yards (3,828), total yards (4,072), touchdowns (31), completions (302) and attempts (508) and passed for over 300 yards on six occasions.
Taylor Reed - Lombardi Award
Reed started all 14 games and was named All-Conference USA honorable mention in 2011. He posted 145 tackles (seventh highest total in the NCAA), averaging 10.4 tackles per game. The Beaumont native posted double-digit tackle totals in seven games.
Taylor Thompson - Lombardi Award, Nagurski Award, Pony Express Award
Thompson, a native of Prosper, Texas, started in all 14 games last season and was named All-Conference USA First Team. An anchor in SMU's 3-4 defense, he posted 32 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks and three QB hurries on the season.
