By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – When your defense is sitting at the top of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association, it's no surprise when your team takes home the accolades. PhilSteele.com agreed, giving Tennessee Tech five defensive honorees out of seven total as it announced its All-Big South/OVC honorees on Friday.
Defensive back Tim Coutras was Tech's first-team selection on defense, while defensive lineman Daniel Rickert and linebackers Jacquez McGowan and Aaron Swafford garnered second-team selections. Defensive lineman Hudson Tucker was picked to the third-team defense, while offensive lineman Nate Hodnett and punter Nick Bigelow were fourth-team selections on offense and special teams.
The Golden Eagles led the conference in total defense, yielding 306.09 yards per game. They ranked fourth in scoring defense, allowing 25.27 points per game. Tech was third in rushing defense, allowing 114.09 yards per game and finished the season with eight straight games of allowing 100 rushing yards or fewer in regulation. The Golden Eagles were also third in pass defense, allowing 192.0 yards per game.
Tech finished the season with a 35-0 shutout over Tennessee State -- the first shutout in the series – the first for the program since 2013 and only the fourth since the 2000 campaign.
The Golden Eagles also tied Gardner-Webb for the most defensive touchdowns in the conference with four each -- Tech had two fumble recoveries for scores, while bringing home two interceptions.
Tech also led the Big South-OVC in opponent 3rd-down conversion rate, holding foes to a 32.28 success rate, the fewest first downs with an average of 14.09 per game, and the most sacks with an average of 2.91 per game.
Coutras, a junior from Nolensville, finished the year with 55 tackles, including 4.5 for-loss. He also picked off four passes – including one for a touchdown – while also breaking up two passes and forcing a fumble. He finished the season ranked 14th in interceptions per game.
Coutras had a season-high nine tackles in the 44-41 overtime heartbreaker to UT Martin, while also intercepting two passes against Robert Morris, returning one for a touchdown. He also picked off passes against Furman and South Carolina State
Rickert, a redshirt sophomore from Nolensville, finished the season with 49 total tackles, including 14.5 for-loss and nine sacks. He also broke up three passes, recorded four quarterback hurries, forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles – including one for a touchdown.
He was named an honorable mention for FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week following the Robert Morris game, where he had two strip sacks as both fumble recoveries went back for touchdowns – one for him and another for fellow honoree Swafford – along with seven tackles.
Rickert finished second in the conference in sacks and fourth in tackles-for-loss. He ranked 22nd in the country in tackles for loss, 12th in sacks and 18th in fumbles recovered.
McGowan and Swafford finished the season tied for the team lead in tackles with 72 stops each. McGowan, who earns all-conference recognition for the second year in a row after an appearance on the OVC's All-Newcomer Team last season, also recorded 3.5 tackles-for-loss with 2.5 sacks, while breaking up two passes and intercepting a pass and returning it 85 yards for a touchdown against North Alabama.
The Valdosta, Ga., native had 10 tackles against North Alabama, while collecting nine tackles in both the Gardner-Webb and Tennessee State games to close out the 2023 campaign.
Swafford started the season with a bang as the Decatur native had 12 tackles against Furman with a fumble recovery. In addition to his 72 stops, he recorded seven tackles-for-loss, including three sacks, while forcing a fumble, recovering two fumbles – including one for a score at Robert Morris, with two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.
Against Tennessee State, Swafford intercepted two passes for 52 yards, both picks leading to touchdown drives as the Golden Eagle defense shut out the Tigers for the team's first shutout win since 2013, first in the series and just the fourth shutout for Tech since 2000.
Swafford also ranks 18th nationally in fumbles recovered.
Tucker, a Kingland, Ga., native, finished the campaign with 21 tackles, including nine tackles-for-loss with six sacks, while hurrying the quarterback three times. He had 1.5 sacks against Kennesaw State and Tennessee State, while also collecting four tackles against both North Alabama and Kennesaw State.
Hodnett, a junior from Winder, Ga., played in all 11 games this season as he helped the offense produce 1,384 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground and 1,936 yards and 10 scores through the air. Hodnett and the offensive line staved off opponent defenses to allow just 18 sacks on the season.
Bigelow, a junior from Bradenton, Fla., punted 63 times for 2,504 yards for an average of 39.7 yards, including a season-long of 58. He had two touchbacks and 31 fair catches, while 15 were inside the 20. Four punts were for 50 yards or longer.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
