Four Mustangs Earn Preseason All-Conference Honors

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Four Mustangs Earn Preseason All-American Athletic Conference Honors
Acker Garners First-Team Nod

June 20, 2013

DALLAS (SMU) - Four Mustangs have earned preseason All-American Athletic Conference honors from AthlonSports, the news outlet announced today. Headlining the SMU group was senior corner Kenneth Acker, who garnered a first-team nod. Joining him on the three-team list were third-teamers Jeremy Johnson, Randall Joyner and Traylon Shead.

Acker was named second-team All-Conference USA last season after starting all 13 games. He led the team with 12 PBUs and tied for team lead with three interceptions, and was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 10 after notching two interceptions and scoring two touchdowns - one on an interception return and one on a blocked field goal try - against SFA.

Johnson, a senior, was named All-Conference USA honorable mention last season after leading the Mustangs with 67 grabs for 679 yards and three TDs. He was a key part of an SMU offense that posted top-10 school efforts in scoring, scoring average, total offense, passing yards, passing TDs, completions, attempts, completion percentage and first downs among others.

Joyner ranked second on the team and 17th in the league with 93 tackles and tied for the team lead with three interceptions in 2012. The senior-to-be set career-highs with 14 tackles and two interceptions at UTEP and was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week as SMU shutout UTEP. On the year, Joyner and Acker were both part of an SMU defense that posted two shutouts, tied an NCAA season record for pick-sixes, and tied for third in the country in total takeaways and second in fumble recoveries for TDs.

Shead is a newcomer to the Hilltop, having enrolled at SMU in January 2013. The junior-to-be spent 2012 at Navarro Junior College, where he was named an honorable mention All-American.

On the heels of their fourth-straight bowl appearance, the Mustangs' 2013 schedule is highlighted by six games at Ford Stadium on the SMU campus. That includes a season-opening, Friday-night matchup against Texas Tech to be aired nationally on ESPN. Other 2013 visitors to Ford Stadium will be Montana State and American Athletic Conference foes Rutgers, Temple, UConn and UCF.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, by visiting SMUMustangs.com/Tickets, or by calling the SMU Ticket Office directly at 214-SMU-GAME (214-768-4263).

[ponyte]

I think this is wonderful. I have hopes for GG, our LB corp and one or two O linemen to receive post season honors. Yes, I think we have some talent on the O line.

I am sun shining to be sure, but I do think we have some talent and that talent will show this fall.

I am more excited about this year's team than any other since pre-DP. I know we have a challenging schedule, but man we do have some talent and depth for a change.

[Roach]

WTH? Shead might be great but hasn't played a game for us yet.
Gilbert and Sanders should be on there somewhere.
Congratulations to Acker, Johnson, Johnson and Shead!

[Hal]

So I wasn't the only one wondering how Shead got included? Good.

I want him to be on the list at the END of the season.

[SMUguy]

Jeremy Johnson and Randall Joyner should have been higher than third team, and I'm not sure Garrett Gilbert shouldn't have been on there, considering he's a fifth-year senior and the way he played down the stretch last year.

Does anyone know where we can find the whole list?

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Does anyone know where we can find the whole list?

Full list here:

http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/american-athletic-football-all-conference-team-2013

Gilbert should have been first team.

[SMUguy]

Thanks for the link.

Nah, the Louisville QB is awesome and deserves to be on the first team. But Gilbert's better than Bortles, and Johnson and Joyner are better than the Houston guys listed ahead of them.

[AusTxPony]

Athlon just not showing us any love, picked us #99 in nation, so this doesn't surprise me. We're gonna have to prove it to them.

[sbsmith]

Does anyone know where we can find the whole list?

Full list here:

http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/american-athletic-football-all-conference-team-2013

Gilbert should have been first team.

Gilbert should have been third team (though that Cincy QB did well in his handful of starts), Bridgewater and Bortles are the top 2 QBs in the league by far (honestly the rest of the QBs are either noobs or highly inefficient).

[Otto]

At the end of the season, Gilbert played better than Bortles in my opinion, but Bridgewater is a no-brainer for the first team. Louisville is pushing him for the Heisman, right?