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Three Freshman Named All-SEC by Coaches 12/8/2005
Bennett, Langford, Hahnfeldt Named to Coaches’ SEC All-Freshman Squad On Tuesday, the coaches named five Commodores — Bennett, senior quarterback Jay Cutler, senior linebacker Moses Osemwegie, senior tight end Dustin Dunning and junior offensive tackle Brian Stamper — to their All-SEC squad. It represented the most Vanderbilt representatives since coaches became announcing their all-conference squad in 1984. “I was very impressed by the contributions these three young men made to our team,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Bobby Johnson. “Earl and Reshard are very deserving unanimous selections. Earl just kept improving with each game, and made a tremendous amount of big offensive plays for us. Reshard did the same thing on the defensive side, and brought a more physical presence to our secondary. Bryant came in and won all the kicking responsibilities and really performed admirably in those roles. Regarded by most observers as one of the nation’s top true freshmen receivers, Bennett broke the SEC frosh record with 79 receptions. He also amassed 876 receiving yards and nine touchdown passes, both freshmen records at Vanderbilt. Bennett played a key role for the Commodores from the first appearance, when he made a critical first down reception in Vanderbilt’s game-winning drive at Wake Forest to his last touch of the year — a five-yard touchdown connection with Cutler that proved the winning margin in the squad’s 28-24 win at Tennessee. In the last four weeks of the season, as veteran Commodore receivers nursed injuries, the Cutler-to-Bennett connection was remarkable. Bennett amassed 49 catches for 545 yards and nine TDs in the four-game span. He set SEC single-game highs with 16 receptions and 204 receiving yards at South Carolina, became just the second SEC player in history to haul in five touchdown receptions in a superb performance versus Kentucky, then capped the season with a 14-catch, 167-yard effort in the Vanderbilt upset at Tennessee. During the game-deciding drive at Knoxville, Bennett accounted for all the yardage with three receptions. A starter in every game, Langford also played a big role in the win over Tennessee, ending a Volunteer threat with an interception while contributing four solo tackles. Langford topped the Commodore defense with three interceptions and was one of the team leaders with 44 solo tackles. One of Langford’s best performances came on national television versus LSU, when he had nine tackles, an interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery and one of the most punishing Commodore tackles in years. He contributed at least five tackles in eight of Vanderbilt’s 11 games. Only three teams — Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi State — had more representatives on the All-SEC freshmen squad. Arkansas running back Darren McFadden topped Bennett and standout South Carolina receiver Sidney Rice for SEC Freshman of the Year honors. 2005 FRESHMAN ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM Coaches’ All-Freshman Specialists |
