PRAIRIE VIEW - Prairie View A&M football had seven players garner selection to the 2019 All-Southwestern Athletic Conference football teams. The league office announced the selections Wednesday afternoon.
The Panthers had five first-team selections -- tied for the most such honorees among all league teams -- and a pair of second-team honorees.
On offense, junior offensive lineman Danny Garza and senior tight end Jordan Jones were named to the first team. The Panthers placed a trio of defenders -- sophomores Jason Dumas and Drake Cheatum, and junior Jaylen Harris -- on the All-SWAC First Team Defense. Senior running back Dawonya Tucker and junior linebacker Tre'Shaud Smith were selected to the conference's second team.
Garza was a key cog on the front line of the Prairie View A&M's league-leading scoring offense (35.5 points per game) and total offense (483.9 yards per game). The San Antonio, Texas native helped clear running lanes for the conference's second-ranked rushing attack at 217.5 yards per game while anchoring the offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks among all SWAC teams on the season (15).
Jones was an explosive target in the Panthers' third-ranked passing offense, hauling in 28 grabs for 497 yards, the latter figure ranking second among Prairie View A&M pass-catchers. The Smackover, Ark. native found the end zone four times on the season, with his best outing a six-catch, 119-yard effort versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff. This is the second all-conference honor for Jones in three seasons, as he garnered Second Team accolades for Grambling State in 2016.
Dumas flashed as a disruptive force for the Panthers going forward, tying for the team lead in tackles for loss (12). On the year, the Vacherie, La. native made 53 total stops along with 5.5 sacks, the latter figure second-most on the team. Dumas had five games this season with 1.5 tackles for loss or more.
Cheatum anchored the SWAC's No. 2 passing defense as the Panthers limited opponents to 200.3 yards per game through the air. Cheatum made 89 total stops along with a pair of tackles for loss. A top-tier defender, Cheatum made a season-high nine stops versus Houston and over the season, picked off three passes while defending five more.
Harris was a dominant force in the secondary alongside Cheatum, emerging as one of the nation's most disruptive ball-hawks. He picked off a team-high four passes while making 14 pass breakups, also tops among Panther defenders. The Round Rock, Texas native is second in the country at 1.8 passes defended (interceptions and pass breakups combined) per game and tied for third-most passes defended at 18.
Tucker was named to the All-SWAC Second Team for the second-straight season after a brilliant season where he rushed for 1,121 yards and 15 touchdowns -- both second-most in the league -- on 180 carries. Among league players with at least 100 attempts, Tucker's 6.2 yards per carry average was the best in the conference. The Terrell, Texas native posted five multi-touchdown games and four 100-yard games, including a school-record 263 yards versus Grambling State. Tucker's 147 all-purpose yards per game average is eighth-best in the nation.
Smith immediately asserted himself as one of the most active defenders in the league, leading the Panthers with 93 tackles and 12 for loss. The Centreville, Miss. native led the Panthers with six sacks and also accounted for four pass breakups. The junior posted four games with 10 or more total tackles and four games with two or more tackles for loss.
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