Mary Hardin-Baylor has been picked to win its eighth straight American Southwest Conference football title in 2012 and Hardin-Simmons was picked third in a vote of the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and media members.
Mary Hardin-Baylor senior quarterback LiDarral Bailey is the preseason ASC offensive player of the year, linebacker Javicz Jones is the preseason defensive player of the year and Texas Lutheran place kicker Allen Cain was named the preseason special teams player of the year.
UMHB went 12-1 last year and went to the NCAA quarterfinals. They received all 24 first-place votes in the poll and had 192 points. Louisiana College was picked second after a 7-3 season in 2012. The Wildcats garnered 157 points. HSU was picked third with 149 points.
There was a big gap in the poll from third to fourth as East Texas Baptist had 98 points, which was one more than fifth-place Texas Lutheran.
Mississippi College (90), Sul Ross State (43) and Howard Payne (38) rounded out the poll.
Bailey directed the league’s top-scoring offense last season at 43.4 points per game. He threw for 1,862 yards and 17 touchdowns and ran for 13 more scores while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Jones, a 6-0, 200-pound senior, averaged a league-high 10.8 tackles per game and added 5.5 sacks and 17 stops for loss. He went on to earn conference defensive player of the year and all-American honors.
Cain, a 6-2, 170-pound senior, was named ASC Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year after leading all of NCAA Division III with 17 field goals made last season. The all-American’s mark also set a conference single-season record. In addition, Cain went 32-for-32 on extra-points.
NOTES: The only new head coach in the league in Howard Payne’s Roger Geise, who has been on the Yellow Jackets staff for the past seven years as defensive line coach (2005-07) and defensive coordinator (2008-11). . . . Mary Hardin-Baylor is ranked No. 4 in the D3football.com Preseason Top 25 Poll, while Louisiana College is receiving votes. . . . Mary Hardin-Baylor is just the second unanimous preseason pick for the ASC title in the poll’s 15-year history, joining Hardin-Simmons in 2001. The Cowboys went on to claim the conference title that season. . . . The league’s preseason pick has gone on to win at least a share of the conference crown 10 times. . . . .Jones is the sixth player to earn multiple ASC preseason individual honors, joining Hardin-Simmons QB Justin Feaster (2009-10), Louisiana College RET Jordan Rideaux (2009-10), Texas Lutheran PK Holt Storrie (2005, 2007), Mary Hardin-Baylor LB Preston Meyer (2001-02) and McMurry QB Braxton Shaver (1998-99). . . . To talk about ASC Football on Twitter this season, use hashtag: #ASCfb
2012 ASC PRESEASON FOOTBALL POLL
[Voted on by ASC Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors, Media Members]
Team (first place votes)
Points
2011 Record
1.Mary Hardin-Baylor (24) 192 12-1, 8-0 ASC (1st)
2. Louisiana College, 157, 7-3, 5-3 ASC (3rd)
3. Hardin-Simmons, 149, 6-4, 4-4 ASC (T4th)
4. East Texas Baptistm, 98, 5-5, 4-4 ASC (T4th)
5. Texas Lutheran 97 5-5, 4-4 ASC (T4th)
6. Mississippi College 90 3-7, 2-6 ASC (7th)
7. Sul Ross State, 43, 2-8, 1-7 ASC (T8th)
8. Howard Payne, 38, 1-9, 1-7 ASC (T8th)
*Former league member McMurry was 9-3, 7-1 ASC (2nd) last season.
ALL-TIME ASC PRESEASON FOOTBALL TOP PICKS
Season
Team
Points (1st votes)
2012
Mary Hardin-Baylor
192 (24/24)
2011
Mary Hardin-Baylor+
239 (23/27)
2010
Mary Hardin-Baylor+
237 (21/27)
2009
Mary Hardin-Baylor&
235 (21/27)
2008
Mary Hardin-Baylor+
240 (24/27)
2007
Mary Hardin-Baylor+
239 (24/27)
2006
Mary Hardin-Baylor+
216 (18/26)
2005
Mary Hardin-Baylor+
265 (21.5/27)
2004
Mary Hardin-Baylor
245 (9/27)
2003
Mary Hardin-Baylor&
239 (13/26)
2002
Hardin-Simmons
94 (5/10)
2001
Hardin-Simmons+
100 (10/10)
2000
Hardin-Simmons+
81 (9/10)
1999
Hardin-Simmons+
46 (4/6)
1998
Mississippi College
80 (5/11)
+Went on to win outright conference title
&Went on to win at least share of conference title
ALL-TIME ASC FOOTBALL PRESEASON AWARD RECIPIENTS
ASC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
2012
LiDarral Bailey, QB, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
2011
Jake Mullin, QB, Sr., McMurry
2010
Justin Feaster, QB, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
2009
Justin Feaster, QB, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
2008
Adam Shaffer, QB, Jr., Mississippi College
2007
T.J. Barber, RB, Sr., Sul Ross State
2006
Jordan Neal, QB, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
2005
Justin Bryson, RB, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
2004
RoShawn Johnson, RB, Jr., East Texas Baptist
2003
Adam King, QB, Jr., Howard Payne
2002
Dustin Proctor, QB, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
2001
Kirk Rogers, WR, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
2000
Richard Green, RB, Sr., Howard Payne
1999
Braxton Shaver, QB, Sr., McMurry
1998
Braxton Shaver, QB, Sr., McMurry
ASC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
2012
Javicz Jones, LB, Sr.., Mary Hardin-Baylor
2011
Javicz Jones, LB, Jr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
2010
Hank Hornsby, DE, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
2009
Austin Sturrock, DE, Sr., East Texas Baptist
2008
Eric Henri, LB, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
2007
Jerrell Freeman, LB, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
2006
Chad Glover, DE, Sr., East Texas Baptist
2005
Will Galusha, DB, Jr., Hardin-Simmons
2004
Littleton Dean, DT, Sr., East Texas Baptist
2003
Alex Hansen, CB, Jr., Hardin-Simmons
2002
Preston Meyer, LB, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
2001
Preston Meyer, LB, Jr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
2000
(co) Jared Sanderson, LB, Jr., Hardin-Simmons,
(co) Mike Tates, LB, Sr., Howard Payne
1999
David Rausch, DB, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
1998
Bryant Shaw, DE, Jr., Mississippi College
1997
no award
1996
no award
ASC Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year
2012
Allen Cain, PK, Sr., Texas Lutheran
2011
Darnell Williams, RET, Sr., Louisiana College
2010
Jordan Rideaux, RET, Sr., Louisiana College
2009
Jordan Rideaux, RET, Jr., Louisiana College
2008
Kyle Pope, PK, Jr., East Texas Baptist
2007
Holt Storrie, PK, Sr., Texas Lutheran
2006
Will Galusha, Sr., RET, Hardin-Simmons
2005
Holt Storrie, PK, So., Texas Lutheran
2004
(co) Brian Malbrough, RET, Sr., McMurry
(co) P.J. Williams, RET, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
2003
Scott Verhalen, P, Sr., East Texas Baptist
Information provided by HSU athletics department.
