NASHVILLE — Headlined by first-team selection Josiah Tauaefa, six UTSA players have earned spots on the Athlon Sports Preseason All-Conference USA Teams.
UTSA placed Yannis Routsas, Jared Sackett and Kevin Strong Jr. on the second team, while Jalen Rhodes and Carl Austin III were picked for the third and fourth teams, respectively.
Six Roadrunners earn spots on @AthlonSports Preseason All-Conference USA Teams #BirdsUp
— #BuiltByUTSA (@UTSAFTBL) May 25, 2018
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Tauaefa, a 6-1, 240-pound junior linebacker, has posted 144 tackles (59 solos), including 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks in his first two seasons with the Roadrunners. The 2016 C-USA Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American also has registered four pass breakups, a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception during his career. Tauaefa, who also appeared on Athlon Sports' preseason All-Conference USA first team a year ago, set UTSA's single-season tackles record with 115 en route to first-team all-league accolades in 2016.
Routsas, a 6-3 senior punter, collected his first preseason all-conference accolade from Athlon Sports. The 6-3 senior was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist last fall after averaging 41.6 yards per punt, booming 10 punts of 50-or-more yards and pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line 28 times. The Houston native, who also serves as the Roadrunners' holder, is UTSA's record-holder for single-season (42.0) and career (40.8) punting average.
Sackett, a 6-1 sophomore place-kicker, booted his way into the UTSA record book in his debut season. The Fort Worth native was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist and USA TODAY Freshman All-American after making a school-record 19 field goals on 22 attempts despite not kicking in the season-opening victory at Baylor. Sackett, a product of Timber Creek High School, ranked third in the Football Bowl Subdivision in field goals per game (1.9) and ninth in field-goal percentage (.864). He was named C-USA Player of the Week after drilling all three field goal attempts, including the game-winner with two seconds left, in a 9-7 win against Marshall.
Strong, a 6-4, 295-pound senior defensive lineman, garnered second-team all-conference accolades last fall after posting 27 tackles (12 solos), seven tackles for loss and three sacks for a defense that led C-USA in seven statistical categories and ranked in the top 10 nationally in five. The Cleveland, Texas, native has registered 82 tackles (36 solos), 20 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two pass breakups, a pair of blocks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 35 career games.
Rhodes, a 5-9, 200-pound senior running back, has rushed for 1,728 yards and 17 touchdowns on 349 carries during his UTSA career. The Rowlett, Texas, native led UTSA last fall in rushing yards with 659 on 134 carries (4.9 avg.) and he also caught 15 passes for 136 yards to give him a team-best 795 all-purpose yards. Rhodes dashed for 174 yards — the second-most rushing yards in a game in program annals — and two TDs on 20 carries in the 44-14 victory at Texas State. He holds school records for single-game (3) and single-season (9) rushing touchdowns and he ranks third on the career rushing yardage chart.
Austin, a 6-1, 200-pound senior safety, has posted 67 tackles (40 solos), six tackles for loss, one sack, three pass breakups and one fumble recovery in 35 career games for the Roadrunners. The Austin native produced a career-best 48 stops, 4.5 TFLs, a sack, two PBUs and one fumble recovery in 2017 for a defense that led C-USA in seven statistical categories and ranked in the top 10 nationally in five. Austin recorded a career-high 10 tackles, including five solo stops, against UAB last season.
The complete Athlon Sports Preseason All-Conference USA Teams can be found at https://athlonsports.com/college-football/conference-usa-football-2018-all-conference-team.
UTSA will kick off the 2018 season at Arizona State on Sept. 1 in Tempe, Ariz. The Roadrunners will host Baylor in their home opener on Sept. 8 at the Alamodome. Season tickets and mini-plans are on sale now by calling (210) 458-UTSA or visiting http://goUTSA.com/tickets.
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