Eleven Bulldogs Named to Phil Steele Magazine All-SoCon Team
1/8/2020 9:39:00 AM | Football
Phil Steele Magazine named Willie Eubanks III the 2019 Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year as 11 Citadel football players earned all-conference honors.
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A consensus All-American, Eubanks put together one of the best defensive seasons in program history by recording 112 tackles, 63 solo, 11.5 tackles-for-loss, 4.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception and 11 quarterback hurries.
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Eubanks was just one of six Bulldogs to be named to the first team as wide receiver Raleigh Webb, offensive lineman Drew McEntyre, defensive lineman Joseph Randolph II, punter Matt Campbell and long snapper Patrick Keefe also earned first-team honors.
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Defensive back Chris Beverly was named to the second-team, while quarterback Brandon Rainey, defensive lineman Dalton Owens, linebacker Marquise Blount and defensive back Sean-Thomas Faulkner earned third-team accolades.
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Webb made the most of his opportunities as he caught 30 passes for 617 yards and a league-best 10 touchdowns. He caught a touchdown in nine of the 12 games, including starting the season with a TD in five-straight games.
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McEntyre was the anchor of the offensive line that helped the Bulldogs rush for 268.2 yards per game, including rushing for over 300 yards in six games. During the Bulldogs' four-game win streak, the offense put together back-to-back huge days on the ground with 360 rushing yards against Furman and 378 yards against Mercer.
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Randolph ended his senior season with 48 tackles, including a SoCon-leading 14.5 tackles-for-loss and 5.0 sacks. He recorded a TFL in nine of the 12 games, including 3.0 tackles-for-loss against Samford.
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Campbell put together his second-straight all-conference season as he averaged 44.1 yards on 35 punts. Ten of his punts traveled at least 50 yards, with 12 resulting in fair catches and 13 being inside the 20-yard line.
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Keefe solidified himself as one of the top long snappers in the nation as a senior. He did not have a bad snap and registered three tackles.
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Beverly started all 12 games at safety and ranked second on the team with 71 tackles. He added 2.0 tackles-for-loss, one interception, one forced fumble and six pass break-ups. His biggest play of the season came against ETSU when he stopped the receiver on the one-yard line on a 4th-and-goal play to secure the victory for the Bulldogs. He followed that up with his first career interception against Chattanooga.
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Rainey accounted for a school-record 30 touchdowns and became just the second signal caller in school history to rush for and throw for at least 10 touchdowns in the same season. He finished the year by rushing for 900 yards and 17 touchdowns, while also throwing for 1,114 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 13 touchdown passes tied for the seventh most in a single season, and are the most since the 2008 season. Rainey is also the first quarterback to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season since Bart Blanchard in 2008.
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Owens quietly put together a strong season in the interior of the defensive line. The sophomore posted 23 tackles, including 8.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks.
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Blount was putting together a dominating season before being shut down due to injury. The sophomore posted 42 tackles, 11.5 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble and five quarterback hurries in just eight games. He recorded a sack in each of the last three games he played, including a strip sack that led to a touchdown in the victory over Furman.
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Faulkner started all 12 games and finished third on the team with 70 tackles, while adding 2.0 sacks, four pass break-ups and three quarterback hurries. He was named the SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week after blocking a pair of punts against Elon
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For more information on The Citadel football, follow @citadelfootball on twitter or visit CitadelSports.com.
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Membership in The Citadel Brigadier Foundation is open to alumni and friends of The Citadel who are interested in supporting Bulldog athletics. By joining, you provide annual charitable contributions that fund scholarships for cadet-student-athletes.  Supporters interested in joining TCBF or for more information, please click HERE.
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A consensus All-American, Eubanks put together one of the best defensive seasons in program history by recording 112 tackles, 63 solo, 11.5 tackles-for-loss, 4.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception and 11 quarterback hurries.
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Eubanks was just one of six Bulldogs to be named to the first team as wide receiver Raleigh Webb, offensive lineman Drew McEntyre, defensive lineman Joseph Randolph II, punter Matt Campbell and long snapper Patrick Keefe also earned first-team honors.
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Defensive back Chris Beverly was named to the second-team, while quarterback Brandon Rainey, defensive lineman Dalton Owens, linebacker Marquise Blount and defensive back Sean-Thomas Faulkner earned third-team accolades.
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Webb made the most of his opportunities as he caught 30 passes for 617 yards and a league-best 10 touchdowns. He caught a touchdown in nine of the 12 games, including starting the season with a TD in five-straight games.
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McEntyre was the anchor of the offensive line that helped the Bulldogs rush for 268.2 yards per game, including rushing for over 300 yards in six games. During the Bulldogs' four-game win streak, the offense put together back-to-back huge days on the ground with 360 rushing yards against Furman and 378 yards against Mercer.
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Randolph ended his senior season with 48 tackles, including a SoCon-leading 14.5 tackles-for-loss and 5.0 sacks. He recorded a TFL in nine of the 12 games, including 3.0 tackles-for-loss against Samford.
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Campbell put together his second-straight all-conference season as he averaged 44.1 yards on 35 punts. Ten of his punts traveled at least 50 yards, with 12 resulting in fair catches and 13 being inside the 20-yard line.
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Keefe solidified himself as one of the top long snappers in the nation as a senior. He did not have a bad snap and registered three tackles.
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Beverly started all 12 games at safety and ranked second on the team with 71 tackles. He added 2.0 tackles-for-loss, one interception, one forced fumble and six pass break-ups. His biggest play of the season came against ETSU when he stopped the receiver on the one-yard line on a 4th-and-goal play to secure the victory for the Bulldogs. He followed that up with his first career interception against Chattanooga.
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Rainey accounted for a school-record 30 touchdowns and became just the second signal caller in school history to rush for and throw for at least 10 touchdowns in the same season. He finished the year by rushing for 900 yards and 17 touchdowns, while also throwing for 1,114 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 13 touchdown passes tied for the seventh most in a single season, and are the most since the 2008 season. Rainey is also the first quarterback to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season since Bart Blanchard in 2008.
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Owens quietly put together a strong season in the interior of the defensive line. The sophomore posted 23 tackles, including 8.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks.
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Blount was putting together a dominating season before being shut down due to injury. The sophomore posted 42 tackles, 11.5 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble and five quarterback hurries in just eight games. He recorded a sack in each of the last three games he played, including a strip sack that led to a touchdown in the victory over Furman.
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Faulkner started all 12 games and finished third on the team with 70 tackles, while adding 2.0 sacks, four pass break-ups and three quarterback hurries. He was named the SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week after blocking a pair of punts against Elon
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For more information on The Citadel football, follow @citadelfootball on twitter or visit CitadelSports.com.
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Membership in The Citadel Brigadier Foundation is open to alumni and friends of The Citadel who are interested in supporting Bulldog athletics. By joining, you provide annual charitable contributions that fund scholarships for cadet-student-athletes.  Supporters interested in joining TCBF or for more information, please click HERE.
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