Four Bulldogs voted C-USA Preseason All-Conference

IRVING, Texas – Louisiana Tech had a total of four student-athletes represented on the 2018 Conference USA Football Coaches Preseason Awards as O’Shea Dugas, Jaylon Ferguson, Amik Robertson and Teddy Veal each made the list, which was voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches.

Seniors O’Shea Dugas (OL) and Teddy Veal (WR) received preseason accolade on offense, while senior Jaylon Ferguson (DE) and freshman Amik Robertson (CB) earned spots on the defensive side of the ball.

This marks the third straight preseason nod for Ferguson, while the defensive end from St. Francisville was also named to the 2018 Bednarik Award Watch List for the second straight season earlier on Monday. Ferguson enters the 2018 season ranked fifth among active career leaders in the FBS with 27.5 sacks in his career, while he comes off a junior campaign that saw him total 39 tackles (25 solo, 14 assisted), a team-high 7.0 sacks for 38 yards and 9.5 tackles for a loss of 45 yards.

In 2017, cornerback Amik Robertson earned FWAA Freshman All-America honors after starting every game in his rookie campaign. A season ago, he led LA Tech in interceptions (5), including a pick-six in the Bulldogs’ win over No. 25-ranked SMU in the Frisco Bowl, while he also led the team with 141 interception return yards. Robertson ranked eighth in the nation with five interceptions, while he finished third on the team with 62 tackles (51 solo, 11 assisted). Robertson also recorded a team-high six pass break-ups in his freshman season and one QB hurry.

In his first season in action for the Bulldogs, Veal impressed after leading LA Tech in receptions (74), receiving yards (950) and touchdown catches (7) on his way to being named C-USA Co-Newcomer of the Year and the Newcomer of the Year in the state of Louisiana. Veal’s 74 receptions on the season was 40 more than LA Tech’s second-leading receiver, while he also posted three 100-yard receiving games and his 950 receiving yards ranked 3rd in C-USA and 33rd in the nation.

On the offensive line, Dugas started nine games and saw action in 10 games for the 2017 Bulldogs on the offensive line despite battling through injuries midway through the season. Last season, Dugas helped pave the way for an offensive unit that ranked fourth in Conference USA in scoring offense and total offense. He helped lead a group that ranked sixth in the league in rushing offense with 172.5 yards per game on the ground. Dugas also helped lead the way for LA Tech’s fourth straight 1,000-yard rusher in as many seasons. This marks the second straight preseason honor for the senior offensive lineman.

Defending conference champion Florida Atlantic had the most overall preseason selections with six, while Marshall produced five and Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee each had players comprising four spots. Eight schools had multiple players named to the squad.

The league’s 23rd football season begins on Thursday, Aug. 30. The 14th annual Conference USA Football Championship Game, pitting the champions of the East and West Divisions, will be held Saturday, Dec. 1.

The C-USA Media Poll (Predicted Order of Finish) will be released on Tuesday.

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