BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Mississippi State”s Derek Sherrod, Pernell McPhee, and Chris White were named All-Southeastern Conference and Bulldog defensive end Nick Bell was named the team”s honorary captain, the league office announced Tuesday.
Bell, who started three of the Bulldogs” first four games, passed away Nov. 2 after a brief bout with cancer. Sherrod, an All-America candidate, and McPhee were each named to the first team as voted by the league”s coaches, while White earned second-team honors.
Sherrod helped lead a rushing attack that finished the regular season ranked second in the conference and 16th nationally with an average of 215.8 rushing yards per game. The Columbus native has started 34 straight games at left tackle. This season, he was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week four times.
McPhee, of Pahokee, Fla., had 9.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, four pass breakups, and a team-leading 12 quarterback hurries.
White finished fourth in the conference with 105 tackles. Last week, he received the 2010 Cellular South Conerly Trophy, which goes to the best collegiate football player in the state of Mississippi. He ranked fourth in the SEC in tackles and tackles for loss (15.5) and eighth in the league with six sacks.
The University of Mississippi”s Jerrell Powe was named second team All-SEC.
The senior defensive tackle earned second-team honors for the second straight year. He received the same award last year from the Associated Press. Phil Steele also selected him second team all-conference.
A native of Waynesboro, Powe was among the candidates for the Rotary Lombardi Award, Outland Trophy, and Bronko Nagurski Trophy and was voted a team captain by his teammates. Despite often facing double teams, Powe amassed 27 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks this season, including 1.5 sacks at No. 8 Alabama.
Defending national champion Alabama and SEC Western Division runner-up LSU had the most representatives on the 2010 All-SEC Coaches” Football Team. Alabama had 12 total members, while LSU had eight.
Nine of the 12 SEC schools had a member on the first-team All-SEC squad. LSU led with five first-teamers, while SEC champion Auburn tied Alabama with four selections on the first team.
Arkansas, Georgia, and South Carolina each had six members on the annual list. Auburn had four, while Florida and Mississippi State each had three. Alabama led with eight selections on the second team.
Every SEC squad had at least one student-athlete represented on the first and second teams. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their players.
The All-SEC squad had 12 first-team seniors, 12 juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore was the only freshman. LSU junior Patrick Peterson made the first team twice — once as a return specialist and once as a defensive back. Alabama”s Trent Richardson and Kentucky”s Randall Cobb also were also recognized at two positions.
The SEC individual award winners will be released today. The SEC All-Freshman Team will be announced Thursday.
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