College Sporting News National All Stars 11/19/2012

Quentin Sims of Tennessee Martin, Wynrick Smothers of Central Arkansas, Cole Jirik of North Dakota State, Nick Dzubnar of Cal Poly and Walter Powell of Murray State have been selected as the College Sporting News All-Stars for the week ending November 17, 2012 in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

Each of the honorees are listed here with their achievements and their school, position, height, weight, class and hometown.

Quentin Sims, Tennessee Martin, Wide Receiver, 6-3, 202, Senior, Cincinnati, OH

Sims set the Ohio Valley Conference single-season receiving touchdown record (16) in UT Martin’s season finale victory over ranked Tennessee State. The senior caught eight passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns as the Skyhawks won 35-26 to finish the season 8-3 overall (6-2 OVC). Sims caught a 32-yard touchdown pass with 10:58 to play in the first quarter and added a season-long 50-yard touchdown three minutes later to put UTM up 14-0. His final touchdown of the day, a 33-yarder, came with 1:10 to play and put the game out of reach. The 16 touchdown catches in a season broke the previous record of 15 held by each Southeast Missouri’s Willie Ponder (2002) and Samford’s Efrem Hill (2003). Sims caught at least one touchdown pass in every Skyhawk game in 2012 and finished the year with 86 catches (sixth-most in OVC history) for 1,092 yards (10th-most in OVC history).

Wynrick Smothers, Central Arkansas, Quarterback, 6-1, 208, Junior, Destrehan, LA

Smothers completed 71 percent of his passes with career highs of 35 completions and 49 attempts for 335 yards and four touchdowns in the Bears’ 48-30 victory over Ohio Valley Conference champion Eastern Illinois. He led a UCA offense that rolled up 457 total yards and outscored EIU 24-7 in the second half. He now has 2,852 passing yards and 31 touchdowns, one short of the school record.

Cole Jirik, North Dakota State, Defensive End, 6-4½, 250, Junior, Northfield, MN

Jirik recorded eight tackles including a career-high three sacks and two forced fumbles in North Dakota State’s 38-20 win at ranked Illinois State. Jirik added a pair of QB hurries. The Bison trailed 17-14 at halftime, but came back in the second half to limit Illinois State to 78 yards of total offense. His sack and forced fumble led to a Mike Hardie recovery to setup a fourth quarter TD that put NDSU ahead 31-20 with 9:52 left.

Nick Dzubnar, Cal Poly, Linebacker, 6-2, 240, Sophomore, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

Dzubnar tallied nine tackles, a forced fumble, and returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown in the Mustangs’ 42-34 win over Northern Arizona . With the win, Cal Poly secured a share of the Big Sky regular-season title and gained an at-large bid to the playoffs. Dzubnar made seven solo stops. His interception return gave Cal Poly the lead for good, 14-7. His forced fumble on the Cal Poly 1-yard line stopped an NAU scoring chance. Cal Poly held NAU to 95 rushing yards.

Walter Powell, Murray State, Return Specialist/Receiver, 6-2, 180, Junior, St. Louis, MO

Powell set a NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) record with a 100-yard punt return in Murray State’s 42-35 victory over Southeast Missouri. The return came with 9:09 to play in the second quarter and put the Racers up 14-3. It marked the first-ever 100-yard punt return since the FCS was formed in 1978. It tied the OVC all-time record, also held by Murray State’s Phil Foster (set in 1959, prior to the formation of the FCS). It was Powell’s second punt return for a touchdown on the season. Powell finished the day with 302 all-purpose yards, gaining 134 yards on three kick returns (including an 83-yarder), 117 yards on two punt returns and catching four passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. Powell currently ranks second nationally in all-purpose yards (193.0/game), fifth in punt returns (15.84 yards/return) and 19th in kickoff returns (26.26 yards/return).