Dec. 8, 2009

IRVING (C-USA/SMU) - SMU's Kyle Padron, Darius Johnson and Taylor Reed have each been named to the 2009 Conference USA All-Freshman Team, as selected by the league's 12 head football coaches, the league office announced today.

Padron, who was 4-1 as a starter down the stretch for the Mustangs, completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 1,462 yards and eight touchdowns with four interceptions. He became the first Mustang freshman to win his first three starts since 1980.

Johnson played in four games in 2009, catching 10 passes for 107 yards and a TD. Reed, meanwhile, ranked fifth on the team with 56 tackles, including 4.5 for-loss. Reed pulled down an interception in the end zone with 14:44 left in the fourth quarter and helped stop Blazer QB Joe Webb on the potential game-tying two-point try with 13 seconds left in the game in the win at UAB. He saw time in every game this season with one start.

With three selections, SMU trailed only Houston and Tulsa, which each placed a league-high four players on the squad.

2009 C-USA FOOTBALL ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
OFFENSE
QB- Kyle Padron, SMU
RB- Charles Sims, Houston
RB- Charles Ross, Rice
OL- Jamie McCoy, Memphis
OL- Zack Morgan, Tulane
OL- Trent Dupy, Tulsa
OL- Chris Hubbard, UAB
OL- Theo Goins, UCF
TE- Vance McDonald, Rice
WR- Antavious Wilson, Marshall
WR- Darius Johnson, SMU
WR-  Ricky Johnson, Tulsa
DEFENSE
DL- Michael Brooks, East Carolina
DL- Zeke Riser, Houston
DL- Dontari Poe, Memphis
DL- Cory Dorris, Tulsa
LB- Phillip Steward, Houston
LB- Taylor Reed, SMU
LB- Shakiel Smith, Tulane
LB- Daniel White, UAB
DB- Kevin Gaddis, Rice
DB- Dexter McCoil, Tulsa
DB- Josh  Robinson, UCF
DB- Deshawn Grayson, UTEP
SPECIAL TEAMS
K- Matt Hogan, Houston
P- Peter Boehme, Southern Miss
KR- Marlon McClure, UTEP
PR- Tracy Lampley, Southern Miss
LS- Taylor Klein, UAB