The University of Akron Athletics
Arthur & Jones Named Midseason All-Americans
October 11 | Football
AKRON – University of Akron's Jabari
Arthur, who ranks among the NCAA top 10 in receptions and
yards, and Andre Jones, who ranks third in the NCAA in punt
returns, were each honored as Midseason second team All-Americans
today, Arthur by Phil Steele Magazine and Jones by
SportsIllustrated.Com.
Phil Steele also released its Midseason All-Mid-American Conference
team, which included first team picks Arthur (wide receiver), Jones
(punt return), Brion Stokes (linebacker) and Davanzo
Tate (cornerback). Also being honored were Reggie
Corner (third team cornerback) and Bryan
Williams (third team kick return).
Through six games, Arthur has 49 receptions for 642 yards. His 107
receiving yards per game leads the MAC and ranks eighth in the
NCAA, while his 8.17 receptions per game ranks third in the MAC and
10th in the NCAA. He now needs just two receptions to tie (three to
pass) Matt Cherry for the school's all-time record for receptions.
Arthur has 147 while Cherry had 149 from 2000-03. Also, Arthur's 49
receptions already ranks 11th on the Akron single-season list and,
at his current pace, would break the UA record of 75 receptions set
by Domenik Hixon in 13 games of the 2005 season.
While his receptions are yards are impressive on their own, they
are even more so considering Arthur has caught 47.1 percent of
Akron's completions (49 of UA's 104) and accounted for 57.5 percent
of the Zips' passing yards (642 of UA's 1,116 yards). Arthur has
also accounted for 30 of UA's 86 first downs and/or touchdowns,
while converting 16 of UA's 31 third-down this season.
Arthur opened ‘07 by hauling in a then career-high 11 catches
(125 yards) versus Army. While that is impressive, it is even more
so considering UA only completed 17 passes for 154 yards. In
particular, Arthur was THE go-to guy during the Zips' lone
offensive TD drive at the end of the first half. He caught four
balls for 53 yards during the nine-play, 80-yard drive, including a
19-yard TD.
While he, nor anyone on UA's offense, put up big numbers at Ohio
State, Arthur was Akron's top receiver, hauling in four passes and
had 32 of UA's 66 receiving yards.
At Indiana, he was a major weapon for the Zips, turning short
passes into long gains. He finished with seven receptions for 118
yards, including a 26-yard TD to cut UA's deficit to three (27-24)
with nine minutes left to play.
Akron's offense only had nine completions versus Kent State, but
Arthur accounted for four of them and 63 of the team's 112
receiving yards, including a game-tying, 26-yard touchdown in the
fourth quarter. He also played a key role in the Zips' final field
goal to provide the 27-20 victory. After Kent State kicked a field
goal to make the score 24-20 in UA's favor, Arthur caught the
ensuing Golden Flash kickoff and threw it back across the field to
an open Bryan Williams, who returned the ball 54
yards.
At UConn, Arthur had eight receptions for 81 yards. During one
scoring drive, Arthur converted three, third-down situations and,
later, his six-yard TD came on third down as well.
Arthur's dominance continued at Western Michigan, where he caught a
school-record 15 passes (he had all but eight of UA's receptions at
WMU) for a school-record 223 yards. He also scored three touchdowns
to earn MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Arthur now has 147 career receptions to rank second on the Akron
all-time list, and 2,124 receiving yards ranks third. He has caught
14 career touchdown passes and averages an impressive 14.4 yards
per catch for his career.
Jones, a junior free safety, ranks third in the NCAA in punt
returns with his 20.40 average, which did not include his 78-yard
return on the final play at Western Michigan. In addition, Jones
ranks third on the team in tackles with 37.
Jones led the Zips in their 22-14 win over Army, recording a
team-high eight tackles. the Forestville, Md., native had just as
impressive game in his role as the team's punt returner. During the
third quarter, Jones returned a punt 63 yards (from the Akron 23 to
the Army 14). Not only was that a career-long, but it surpassed his
total from the previous year, when he returned nine punts for 52
yards. Jones finished the Army game returning three punts for 96
yards.
Jones then matched the feat a week later, getting a team-high 10
tackles at Ohio State. At Ohio State, he had two returns for 34
yards, including a nine-yard punt return and 26-yard return
following the Zips' safety.
While he did not lead the team in stops at Indiana, getting six, he
did record his second career interception. After the pick, Akron
would score consecutive TDs to take a 17-10 lead midway through the
second quarter.
Versus Kent State, he only managed two tackles. However, one may
have been the difference in the game. With Akron up 27-20 and the
Golden Flashes driving, Jones forced a fumble after a completion
down to the UA 29, which Wayne Cobham recovered.
At UConn, Jones had seven stops, including a TFL. Also, he
bolstered his punt return average by returning two for 53 yards,
including a 27-yarder and a 26-yarder.
Jones did not play much defense at Western Michigan, suffering from
concussion-like symptoms during the week leading up to the game,
getting five tackles. However, he was named MAC East Special Teams
Player of the Week. In addition to returning two punts for 31
yards, including a 29-yarder, Jones teamed with Alphonso
Owen to score the Zips game-winning TD as time expired at
Western Michigan. Owen fielded the ball on the 11 and pitched it to
Jones on the 22. Jones continued up the left sideline, cut all the
way back across the field and, thanks to a block from Andre
Walker at the five yard line, found paydir to get credit for 78
kick return yards.
Stokes ranks eighth in the NCAA with his 1.67 tackles for loss
average per game and leads the team in tackles this season. He was
named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week versus Kent State for
his 10 tackles, a tackle for loss thwarting a fake field goal
attempt and a fumble recovery. Stokes, who scored Akron's lone
points at Ohio State with a TFL leading to a safety, had four TFLs
versus Amry and three at Western Michigan. The Charlotte, N.C.,
native has 39 career TFLs and only needs two more to tie Jason
Taylor for the Akron all-time record.
Tate makes up half of perhaps the league's best combination at
corner back, with Corner. The Youngstown product ranks second in
the MAC and 16th in the NCAA in passes defended with seven pass
breakups and two interceptions. His average was bolstered at
Western Michigan where he tied a career-high with four PBU. He
could have had an additional PBU at Indiana, but his batted away a
pass in the endzone ended up in the hands of teammate Andre
Jones for an interception. Tate started the year with four
tackles, an interception and two pass breakups versus Army. He
followed that with a career-high nine stops at Ohio State. One week
after OSU, he tied his career high with nine stops at Indiana,
including a career-high eight solo tackles. Versus Kent State, Tate
had five tackles and came down with an interception in the endzone
on the game's final play to seal Akron's victory.
Corner, the other half of perhaps the best CB tandem in the league,
was named MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week after the
Zips defeated Army and the Canton native made a strong push for the
honor the following week at Ohio State. Corner ranks seventh on the
UA all-time interceptions list with 11, ranks 25th in the NCAA
(third in the MAC) in interceptions and 28th nationally (third in
the MAC) in passes defended.
The McKinley HS product and preseason All-MAC selection helped the
Zips to a 22-14 victory over Army in the 2007 season opener,
snapping a streak of five straight losses in season openers for the
program. Corner had four tackles in the win, as Akron held the
Black Knights to just 58 yards rushing. However, his biggest
contribution came late in the first quarter. With Army driving,
Corner picked off a David Pevoto pass and returned it 74 yards for
Akron's first TD of the season, giving the Zips an early 9-0 lead.
The interception return for a score was the first by a Zip since
Dwayne LeFall returned a pick 60 yards for a TD at Ohio on Nov. 13,
2004.
The following week, Corner put up better numbers but was edged out
for the MAC weekly honor. At Ohio State, he tallied six tackles,
including four solo stops with one going for a loss, with an
interception and two pass breakups. His interception stopped an OSU
drive on their fourth possession. Then, on the Buckeye's fifth
possession, Corner broke-up a pass, which teammate John
Mackey would intercept. On Ohio State's first drive of the
second half, Corner broke-up a pass in the endzone, forcing a
Buckeye field goal.
At Indiana, Corner had a career-high eight tackles, including one
for a loss. In the Zips' true home opener, Corner played a key role
in Akron winning back the Wagon Wheel as he picked off a pass and
returned it 43 yards to the KSU two, setting up Akron's go-ahead
touchdown.
Williams, a junior college transfer, made his impact the first time
he touched the ball and has continued to show his skills each
contest since. The Akron native and Buchtel graduate ranks first in
the MAC and third in the NCAA in kick returns, averaging 35.18
yards per return. That average was bolstered thanks to a 70-yard
return on the opening kickoff of the season versus Army and a
54-yard return on a lateral versus Kent State. At UConn, he had
three kick returns for 105 yards, including a 58-yarder.
Versus Kent State, Williams got his first, out-right start at
tailback, leading the team with 50 rushing yards on 12 carries (4.2
yards per rush). He also set up Akron's final field goal, taking a
lateral from Jabari Arthur on a kickoff and returning it 54
yards to the KSU 26. Williams followed that by rushing for a
team-high 65 yards on 13 carries (5.0 avg.) at UConn.
Although Western Michigan kicked away from Williams and he did not
get a return, he did plenty of damage on offense. First, he rushed
14 times for 72 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt. He also
caught three passes for 72 yards, including a 60-yard TD for his
first score in an Akron uniform.
