Rainey Named TO SBC Second Team
Three members of the Western Kentucky University football team - sophomore Bobby Rainey, and seniors Jake Gaebler and Jeremy Moore - were selected to the 2009 all-Sun Belt Conference team released by the league office Wednesday morning. Rainey earned second-team running back and all-purpose honors, while Gaebler and Moore were both honorable mention all-league.
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Rainey finished the year with a team-high 939 rushing yards, and was the leader in the Sun Belt in all-purpose yards averaging 175.1 per game. He racked up 1,050 yards in kickoff returns for the year - an average of 23.9 yards per return. His 78.2 rushing yards per contest ranked sixth in the Sun Belt, and were boosted by three 100-plus yard games. Rainey ran for a career-high 144 yards at Florida Atlantic on the heels of a 134-yard effort in the previous game at Louisiana-Monroe. He finished with over 100 all-purpose yards in 11 of WKU's 12 games.
Gaebler ended his career as WKU's all-time leader in receptions with 168 catches. His 1,924 career receiving yards is also fifth-best all-time by a Hilltopper. Despite missing nearly three full games due to injury, Gaebler led WKU with 43 catches for 494 yards in 2009. He also hauled in four of the Toppers' 11 receiving touchdowns on the year. He finished with a pair of 100-yard receiving games, finishing with six catches for 100 yards at Middle Tennessee and seven for 106 at Louisiana-Monroe. Gaebler also had a pair of touchdown catches at MTSU. He finished the year fifth in the Sun Belt in receptions averaging 4.3 catches per game and eighth in the league with 49.4 receiving yards per contest.
Moore was the Sun Belt leader in punting in 2009, averaging 43.3 yards per kick. He punted 56 times for 2,427 yards on the year, and had 10 kicks travel 50 yards or more. Moore was also able to down nine punts inside the opponent's 20 yard line. He averaged over 40 yards per punt in all 11 games in which he was called into duty this season. For his career, Moore averaged 40.3 yards per punt - an average that ranks fourth in school history.
2009 All-Sun Belt Football Team
Player of the Year
Levi Brown (Troy, Sr., QB)
Offensive Player of the Year
Levi Brown (Troy, Sr., QB)
Co-Defensive Players of the Year
Cardia Jackson (Louisiana-Monroe, Sr., LB)
Chris McCoy (Middle Tennessee, Sr., DL)
Freshman of the Year
Shawn Southward (Troy, Fr., RB)
Co-Coaches of the Year
Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee
Larry Blakeney, Troy
First Team All-Sun Belt Conference Offense
Levi Brown (Troy, Sr., QB)
Alfred Morris (Florida Atlantic, R-So., RB)
Lance Dunbar (North Texas, So., RB)
LaGregory Sapp (Louisiana-Monroe, Sr., WR)
Jerrel Jernigan (Troy, Jr., WR)
Jason Harmon (Florida Atlantic, R-Sr., TE)
Brad Bustle (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr., G)
Chris Fisher (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr., OL)
Mark Thompson (Middle Tennessee, Sr., OL)
Danny Franks (Troy, Sr., OL)
Tyler Clark (Troy, Jr., OL)
First Team All-Sun Belt Conference Defense
Alex Carrington (Arkansas State, Sr. DL)
Aaron Morgan (Louisiana-Monroe, Sr., DL)
Chris McCoy (Middle Tennessee, Sr., DL)
Brandon Lang (Troy, Sr., DL)
Cardia Jackson (Louisiana-Monroe, Sr., LB)
Boris Lee (Troy, Sr., LB)
Bear Woods (Troy, Sr., LB)
Greg James (Louisiana-Monroe, Sr., DB)
Jeremy Kellem (Middle Tennessee, Jr., DB)
Alex Suber (Middle Tennessee, Sr., DB)
Marcus Udell (Middle Tennessee, Sr., DB)
First Team All-Sun Belt Conference Specialists
Alan Gendreau (Middle Tennessee, So., PK)
Spencer Ortego (Louisiana-Lafayette, Jr., P)
T.Y. Hilton (FIU, So., Return Specialist)
Jerrel Jernigan (Troy, Jr., All Purpose)
Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference Offense
Dwight Dasher (Middle Tennessee, Jr., QB)
Frank Goodin (Louisiana-Monroe, Jr., RB)
Bobby Rainey (WKU, So., RB)
T.Y. Hilton (FIU, So., WR/KR)
Jamaal Jackson (North Texas, Jr. WR)
Ladarius Green (Louisiana-Lafayette, So., TE)
Derek Newton (Arkansas State, Jr., OL)
David Matlock (Florida Atlantic, R-Sr., OL)
Brad Serirni (FIU, Jr., OL)
Esteban Santiago (North Texas, Jr., OL)
Mark Fisher (Middle Tennessee, Jr., OL)
Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference Defense
Bryan Hall (Arkansas State, Jr., DL)
Jamari Lattimore (Middle Tennessee, Jr., DL)
Cameron Sheffield (Troy, Sr., DL)
Kevin Dixon (Troy, Sr., DL)
Antwyne Zanders (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr., LB)
Danny Carmichael (Middle Tennessee, Sr., LB)
Cam Robinson (Middle Tennessee, Sr., LB)
Anthony Gaitor (FIU, Jr., DB)
James Truxillo (Louisiana-Monroe, Sr., DB)
Courtland Fuller (Troy, Sr., DB)
Bryan Willis (Troy, Fr., DB)
Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference Specialists
Josh Arauco (Arkansas State, Sr., PK)
Carlos Munera (FIU, Sr., P)
Jerrel Jernigan (Troy, Jr., Return Specialist)
Bobby Rainey (WKU, So., All Purpose)
Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt Conference
Corey Leonard (Arkansas State, Sr., QB); Daylan Walker (Arkansas State, Sr., DB); Kevin Cyrille (Florida Atlantic, R-So., DL); Marcus Bartels (Florida Atlantic, R-So., DB); Scott Bryant (FIU, Sr., LB); Jonathan Cyprien (FIU, Fr., DB); Dwight Bentley (Louisiana-Lafayette, So., DB); Grant Fleming (Louisiana-Lafayette, Jr., LB); Luther Ambrose (Louisiana-Monroe, So., All Purpose); Josh Thomas (Louisiana-Monroe, Sr., LB); Brandon Perry (Middle Tennessee, Sr., DL); Desmond Gee (Middle Tennessee, Sr., RS); Kelvin Drake (North Texas, Jr., OL); Craig Robertson (North Texas, Jr., LB); Tebiarus Gill (Troy, Jr., WR); Will Goggans (Troy, So., P); Jake Gaebler (WKU, Sr., WR); Jeremy Moore (WKU, Sr., P)
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