BATON ROUGE — The honors for LSU’s national champion football team continue to roll in as running back Justin Vincent and free safety LaRon Landry have both been named to the Freshman All-America Team by Scripps/Football Writers Association of America, the organization announced on Wednesday.
Vincent, a Lake Charles, La., native, earned a spot on the team after leading the Tigers in rushing with an LSU freshman record 1,001 yards, including an SEC Championship Game record 201 yards in the 34-13 win over Georgia. Vincent capped his record setting rookie campaign by rushing for 117 yards and a touchdown in LSU’s 21-14 win over Oklahoma in the Nokia Sugar Bowl.
Vincent, who earned MVP honors in both the Sugar Bowl as well as the SEC Championship Game, rushed for 100 or more yards in LSU’s last four games. The Tigers were 8-0 in games in which Vincent started at running back.
Landry, a native of Ama, La., played a key role for the Tiger defense, one that rated No. 1 in the nation in both scoring (11.0 points per game) and total defense (252.0 yards per game). Landry played in all 14 games for the Tigers, starting 10 times. With 80 tackles this season, Landry became the first freshman to lead the Tigers in tackles since 1990 when Anthony Marshall posted 92 stops to lead the team.
The 27-member Scripps/FWAA team was selected by an 11-man committee representing each of the NCAA’s Division I-A football conferences.
More than 70 players were nominated and evaluated by the committee. The vote took place following the respective conference championship games and before the bowl games. Thirteen of the 27 players selected are true freshmen, including eight on defense.
Tulsa’s Steve Kragthorpe was named the first-year coach of the year after leading the Hurricane to an 8-4 record and its first bowl appearance in 12 years. Kragthorpe, who took over a team that finished 1-11 in 2002, is also a finalist, along with LSU coach Nick Saban, for the FWAA’s Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year.
The representatives who selected the 2003 team as follows: Bob Thomas, Florida Times-Union (ACC); Chip Scoggins, Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Big Ten); Doug Smock, Charleston Gazette (MAC); Mark Anderson, Las Vegas Review-Journal (MWC); Mike Griffith, Knoxville News Sentinel (SEC), Ted Miller, Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Pac- 0); Paul Letlow, The Monroe News-Star (Sun Belt) Adam Thompson, Denver Post (Big 12); Marek Warszawski, Fresno Bee (WAC); Ron Higgins, The Commercial Appeal Conference USA); and Michael Vega, Boston Globe (Big East).
2003 SCRIPPS/FWAA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA TEAM
OFFENSE
QB ** Chris Leak, Florida 6-1 205 Charlotte, N.C.
RB ** Laurence Maroney, Minnesota 5-11 200 St. Louis, Mo.
RB Robert Merrill, TCU 5-10 190 San Antonio, Texas
RB ** Justin Vincent, LSU 5-11 208 Lake Charles, La.
WR Steve Breaston, Michigan 6-1 176 North Braddock, Pa.
WR Steve Odom, Toledo 5-10 165 Columbus, Ohio
C Kyle Young, Fresno State 6-5 320 Fallbrook, Calif.
OL Justin Blalock, Texas 6-4 330 Plano, Texas
OL Leroy Harris, N.C. State 6-3 285 Raleigh, N.C.
OL Samson Satele, Hawaii 6-3 289 Kaneohe, Hawaii
OL Robert Turner, New Mexico 6-3 320 Austin, Texas
DEFENSE
DL ** Jason Berryman, Iowa State 6-2 230 Houston, Texas
DL Ray McDonald, Florida 6-3 252 Belle Glade, Fla.
DL Brian Smith, Missouri 6-3 220 Denton, Texas
DL ** Mario Williams, N.C. State 6-7 254 Richlands, N.C.
LB ** Ahmad Brooks, Virginia 6-4 249 Woodbridge, Va.
LB ** Nick Bunting, Tulsa 6-1 205 Tulsa, Okla.
LB ** Channing Crowder, Florida 6-2 236 Atlanta, Ga.
DB ** Darnell Bing, USC 6-2 220 Lakewood, Calif.
DB Brandon Browner, Oregon State 6-4 194 Sylmar, Calif.
DB ** LaRon Landry, LSU 6-1 180 Ama, La.
DB ** Eric Weddle, Utah 5-11 185 Alta Loma, Calif.
SPECIALISTS
K James Wilhoit, Tennessee 5-10 190 Hendersonville, Tenn.
P Brandon Fields, Michigan State 6-5 219 Toledo, Ohio
KR ** Reggie Bush, USC 6-0 190 Spring Valley, Calif.
PR ** Ryne Robinson, Miami (Ohio) 5-10 169 Toledo, Ohio
AP Willie Idlette, Wake Forest 5-11 169 Chattanooga, Tenn.
HEAD COACH
Steve Kragthorpe, Tulsa
** True Freshman