Dec. 6, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Four Vanderbilt standouts – running back Zac Stacy, linebacker Chris Marve, cornerback Casey Hayward and defensive end Tim Fugger – were named to the Coaches’ All-Southeastern Conference Team today voted on by the league’s 12 coaches.
Stacy, a junior from Centreville, Ala., was named to the second-team All-SEC offense. Marve, a senior from Memphis, Tenn., Hayward, a senior from Perry, Ga., and Fugger, a senior from Oak Brook, Ill., were placed on the second-team defense. The quartet played vital roles as the Commodores enjoyed one of the nation’s top turnarounds. Coming off a pair of 2-10 seasons, the Commodores guided by first-year Head Coach James Franklin, featured the SEC’s most improved offense and defense en route to a 6-6 regular season record. The Commodores will take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in the 53rd AutoZone Liberty Bowl Dec. 31 in Memphis.
“I’m pleased that the Southeastern Conference coaches recognized what a productive season these four players put together,” Franklin said. “They were playmakers on the field, and gave great leadership to our squad through the season.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be named all-conference in the SEC. In addition to these four players, we also have several other guys that merited All-SEC consideration. I’m very proud to be the coach of all of them,” Franklin added.
Fugger became a key playmaker for the Commodore defense in his final season. He paced the unit with 12.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks on the season, ranking eighth in the SEC in both categories. Fugger also added 29 total tackles, recovered one fumble, and ranked seventh in the conference with three forced fumbles.
Stacy enjoyed one of the finest offensive seasons ever by a Commodore running back. The junior set career marks in almost every statistical category breaking numerous Vanderbilt records along the way. He set the team’s single-season record with 1,136 rushing yards and scored 13 rushing touchdowns, the most ever by a Vanderbilt running back. Stacy ranked third in the SEC in rushing and scored more rushing touchdowns than any SEC player except Alabama’s Trent Richardson, who was selected as the Coaches’ Offensive Player of the Year. Stacy’s 6.2-yards per carry average also ranked first among the SEC’s top five rushing leaders.
Hayward ranked third in the SEC with five interceptions and second in the league with 14 passes defended. He enters the AutoZone Liberty Bowl with 13 career interceptions, just two picks behind Leonard Coleman’s (1980-83) school record. Listed as a midseason All-America by both SI.com and CBSSports.com, Hayward finished the regular season with 40 solo tackles, 54 total tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. Hayward is also 10 tackles shy of 200 for his career.
Marve is a three-year starter who will be returning to his hometown of Memphis for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. As a senior, he topped the Commodores this season with 84 tackles, ranking 13th in the SEC. He tallied eight or more tackles on five occasions, including an 11-tackle, one-sack outing against Army. He added seven tackles for loss and one interception. He ranks ninth all-time at Vanderbilt with 390 career tackles and eighth with 28.0 career tackles for loss.