Nov. 28, 2006
IRVING, Texas -- Ray Guy Award finalist Daniel Sepulveda headlined a class of 10 Baylor football student-athletes named to the AT&T Coaches All-Big 12 Conference teams, announced Tuesday by the league office. Sepulveda, who earned first-team honors in 2004 and second-team honors in 2003 and 2005, also was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year.
Linebacker Joe Pawelek (Fr., Spring Branch, Texas) and wide receiver Dominique Zeigler (Sr., Killeen, Texas) were second-team picks; Zeigler also was a second-team selection last season.
Corner back Anthony Arline (Sr., San Antonio, Texas), quarterback Shawn Bell (Sr., China Spring, Texas), free safety Dwain Crawford (So., Giddings, Texas), place kicker Ryan Havens (Sr., Odessa, Texas), outside safety Maurice Linguist (Sr., Mesquite, Texas), wide receiver Trent Shelton (Sr., Fort Worth, Texas) and corner back C.J. Wilson (Sr., Terrell, Texas) all were named honorable mention.
Pawelek and the honorable mention honorees all were first-time all-conference selections.
With 10 selections this season, Baylor has placed 31 student-athletes on the all-conference teams during head coach Guy Morriss' four-year tenure. Morriss' staff has produced four of the program's six first-team selections, the program's only two -time first-team performers (Willie Andrews and Sepulveda) and the program's only four-time honoree (Sepulveda).
Sepulveda, the 2004 Guy Award winner as the nation's top punter, ranks first nationally in punting with an average of 46.48 yards per punt, the highest single-season average in school history. Baylor ranks third nationally in net punting at 39.01 yards per punt. Thanks to Sepulveda's punts, Baylor opponents started no better than their own 20 yard line on 52 percent of Sepulveda's punts this season (34 of 66), including 26 punts inside the 20 (39 percent) and eight inside the 10 (12 percent).
Pawelek, the only freshman on the first or second teams, led Baylor with 86 tackles this season. He ranks 11th in the Big 12 with 7.17 tackles per game, the most of any freshman in the league. Zeigler finished the season with 54 receptions for 741 yards and three touchdowns. He ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 43rd nationally with 4.91 receptions per game, while he ranks sixth in the league and 44th nationally with 67.36 receiving yards per game.
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops was named Big 12 Coach of the Year. Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor was named Offensive Player of the Year, while Oklahoma linebacker Rufus Alexander was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Oklahoma State safety Andre Sexton were selected as freshmen of the year, while Oklahoma State wide receiver Adarius Bowman and Texas A&M linebacker Misi Tupe were honored as newcomers of the year. Texas offensive tackle Justin Blalock and Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker were named linemen of the year.
South division champion Oklahoma and North division champion Nebraska meet in the 11th-Annual Big 12 Conference Championship Game at 7 p.m. CDT Saturday, Dec. 2, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
