C Spire Conerly Trophy list updated

Mississippi football has produced several candidates worthy of consideration for the C Spire Wireless Conerly Trophy, which goes annually to the Magnolia State’s most outstanding collegiate football player.
 
The C Spire Conerly Trophy will be presented at a banquet Nov. 27 at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Each of the 10 football-playing senior colleges in Mississippi will select a finalist and voting will be done by a statewide panel of sports media. Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis won the C Spire Conerly in 2011.
 
What follows is a 2012 C Spire Conerly Trophy watch list, in alphabetical order:
 
• Mississippi College wide receiver Alex Archer: Added three catches for 38 yards on Senior Day in MC’s 70-28 loss to Louisiana College. Now has 37 catches for 712 yards., ranking him second in the American Southwest Conference.
 
• Mississippi State cornerback Johnthan Banks: The senior All America candidate was in on eight tackles against Texas A & M. He is a semifinalist for both the Jim Thorpe and Chuck Bednarik national awards.
 
• Southern Miss defensive end Jamie Collins: A bright spot in a dismal season, Collins had nine tackles (four for losses) and three sacks. He also forced two fumbles and broke up a pass in USM’s loss to UAB. He leads USM with 73 tackles, 16 tackles for losses and nine sacks.
 
• Jackson State defensive end Joseph LeBeau: A senior from New Orleans, LeBeau had six tackles and one sack in victory Grambling. Now has 15.5 tackles for loss.
 
 
• Alcorn kick returner Terrance Lewis: Caught five passes for 35 yards in loss to Mississippi Valley State. Now has 27 catches on the season. The senior All-SWAC returner ranks second in the league in kickoff returns and fourth in all-purpose yardage.
 
• Belhaven cornerback Justin Mims: Had five tackles and broke up three passes in victory over Pikeville. The junior ranks fourth in NAIA with four interceptions, including two he has returned for touchdowns.
 
• Ole Miss linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche: Had eight tackles and forced two fumbles in loss to Georgia. He leads Ole Miss with 60 tackles, including nine for losses and two sacks. He also has two pass interceptions.
 
• Mississippi State running back LaDarius Perkins: Carried the ball 13 times for 42 yards against Texas A & M. He ranked second in the SEC in rushing and first in all-purpose yardage entering the weekend.
 
• Millsaps quarterback Garrett Pinciotti: Completed 27 of 41 passes for 310 yards in victory over Austin. The senior has thrown for 24 touchdowns and only three interceptions and has won conference player of the week twice.
 
• Jackson State wide receiver Rico Richardson: Had five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in JSU’s victory over Grambling. This senior from Natchez has caught 50 passes for 927 yards and eight touchdowns.
 
• Mississippi State quarterback Tyler Russell: Completed 19 of 30 passes for 212 yards against A & M. The junior has thrown for 16 touchdowns, compared to just three interceptions. He has thrown for 1,944 yards.
 
• Ole Miss running back Jeff Scott: Ran 13 times for 21 yards and caught three passes for 24 yards against Georgia. The junior has run for 633 yards on 126 carries. He has six touchdowns rushing and another on a pass reception.
 
• Mississippi Valley State defensive tackle Robert Simpson: Recorded three tackles, one and a half for loss and a sack in victory over Alcorn. Leads the NCAA championship division with 17.5 tackles for loss.
 
• Delta State linebacker Ixavier Triplett: Did not play Saturday. The junior from Scott Central has amassed 29.5 tackles for loss and nine forced fumbles in his career at DSU.
 
• Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace: Completed 16 of 25 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown against Georgia. He has thrown for 1,836 yards and 11 touchdowns. Has also scored five touchdowns running.
 
• Southern Miss cornerback Deron Wilson: Wilson had eight tackles and a pass interception, which he returned for 20 yards against UAB. He ranks second on USM’s all-time passes defended list with 33 passes broken up.
 
• Mississippi Valley linebacker Keven Woods: The senior has recorded 71 tackles, seven for a loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.