ALL-COMMONWEALTH TEAM
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Four Morehead State football athletes have been named to the 2016 Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Commonwealth Team.
The preseason team, sponsored by Community Trust Bank, recognizes the best players on every collegiate program in the Bluegrass. MSU's honorees include senior quarterback
Austin Gahafer, junior defensive lineman
Colt Briggs, senior linebacker
Ryan Bennett and senior offensive lineman
C.J. Phillips.
Gahafer (Louisville, Ky.), who was named Offensive Player of the Year in the Pioneer Football League, was also one of 25 finalists for the STATS National Offensive Player of the Year. He was named First-Team All-PFL. Gahafer threw for a league-high 3,244 yards to go along with 24 total touchdowns, averaging 295 yards a game through the air. He also rushed for three touchdowns and caught two scoring tosses, accounting for 291.5 total offensive yards per game.
Briggs (Wilmington, Ohio)Â led the Eagles with 10.5 tackles for loss and finished with 46 total stops. He had a career-best 3.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 10 total tackles in a shutout against Davidson. Briggs helped the Eagle defense's points allowed improve by 18 from 2014 to 2015.
Bennett (Alpharetta, Ga.) paced the defensive unit and ranked seventh in the league with 96 total stops. Bennett, who had five double-digit tackle efforts, also had 4.5 tackles for loss. He recorded a career-best 14 stops against Dayton.
Phillips (Louisville) blocked for an offensive unit that led the conference in passing yards (314.8) and ranked second in total offense (416.6). The line also led the PFL for the second straight year in fewest sacks allowed.
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