Trio Shares Team MVP Award
2/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 16, 2005
Senior wide receiver Marques Roberts (Luling, Texas), senior linebacker Justin Crooks (Round Rock, Texas) and sophomore punter Daniel Sepulveda (Dallas, Texas) have been selected as the Baylor football team's 2004 MVPs by the Bears' coaching staff.
Roberts, who earned the offensive team MVP award, led the 2004 Bears in both receiving yards (570) and touchdown receptions (six) while ranking second in total receptions (40). He finished 11th among all Big 12 receivers in receiving yards per game (51.8 ypg) and was 12th with 3.64 receptions per game. A four-year letterwinner who started 23 consecutive games to end his career, Roberts ranks among Baylor's career leaders in touchdown receptions (t-No. 6, 11), receptions (No. 7, 91) and receiving yards (No. 10, 1,222).
Baylor's defensive MVP was Crooks, a second-team All-Big 12 honoree (Associated Press, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, San Antonio Express-News, Austin American-Statesman, Waco Tribune-Herald, Kansas City Star) after recording 87 tackles, including 60 solos, in his final season. His 7.9 tackles per game ranked sixth in the Big 12 Conference, while he was third in the Big 12 and 26th nationally with 16 tackles for loss. A four-year letterman who started the final 24 games of his career and recorded four or more tackles in each of his last 22 outings, Crooks' 33.5 tackles for loss rank fourth on the school's all-time list.
The 2004 Ray Guy Award winner as the nation's top collegiate punter, Sepulveda earned Baylor's special teams MVP for the second straight season. He finished No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 2 nationally with his average of 46.0 yards per punt, which ranks as the second-best one-season mark in BU history. A consensus first-team All-Big 12 performer, Sepulveda earned second-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation and was a third-team selection by the Associated Press. He recorded 24 punts of 50-plus yards and had 26 punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line while recording the nation's second-best net average (42.5 yards per punt).
The Bears' MVP trio was also recognized for their leadership as team captains during the 2004 season.
Senior center Joseph DeWoody (Fort Worth, Texas) was selected as the team's best offensive lineman after starting every game for the 2004 Bears and recording 34 knockdown blocks. He did not allow a sack in 746 total snaps and was credited with four or more knockdowns five times with a high of eight at Texas Tech. Senior defensive end Khari Long (Wichita Falls, Texas) was named the squad's top defensive lineman. A 2005 Hula Bowl participant, Long started 10 games as a senior and finished fourth on the team (and first among Baylor defensive lineman) in tackles with 58 stops, 36 of which were solos.
Sophomore running back Paul Mosley (Austin, Texas) was selected as the team's best offensive skill player while junior outside safety Willie Andrews (Longview, Texas) earned the same honor for the Baylor defense. Mosley led the Bears in rushing with 582 yards on 127 carries with four touchdowns and a 4.6 yards per carry average.
Andrews, meanwhile, was third on the team in tackles with 67 stops, including 48 solos, and recorded 10 tackles for loss, a team-high three quarterback sacks, six quarterback hurries and four pass breakups. A special teams standout, Andrews earned first-team All-Big 12 honors (Big 12 Coaches, ESPN.com, Collegefootballnews.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Houston Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman, San Antonio Express-News, Waco Tribune-Herald) as a return specialist in 2004. He led the Big 12 and ranked 24th nationally with his 24.7 yard kickoff return average, while his 10.8 yard punt return average ranked third in the Big 12 and 43rd nationally.
A pair of seniors, running back Anthony Krieg (Pflugerville, Texas) and linebacker Michael Tolbert (Austin, Texas), shared the Kyle Woods Award. Krieg, who started 10 of 11 games, finished the season as Baylor's No. 2 rusher with 460 yards and one touchdown. An 11-game starter, Tolbert was fifth on the team in tackles with 53 stops, seven of which were behind the line.
In addition, senior wide receiver John Martin (Stillwater, Okla.) received the squad's highest grade point average award. A pair of true freshmen, tight end Jason Smith (Dallas, Texas) and defensive tackle Vincent Rhodes (Denison, Texas), were selected as Baylor's 2004 offensive and defensive scout team MVPs, respectively. The Bears' most improved player was redshirt freshman quarterback/wide receiver Terrance Parks (Lufkin, Texas), who passed for 486 yards, scored two rushing touchdowns and caught six passes on the season.
Baylor ended its 2004 season with a 3-8 record and went 1-7 in the Big 12 South. Coach Guy Morriss' 2005 team begins spring drills on March 30 with the annual Green & Gold Game set for April 23. The Bears open the 2005 season Sept. 3 at SMU.
