Kansas Places Six on Phil Steele Midseason All-Big 12 Football Teams
Oct. 13, 2011
CLEVELAND – First team selection Tim Biere highlighted Kansas’ six selections to the Phil Steele All-Big 12 Football teams, which were released Thursday. Joining Biere, were senior center Jeremiah Hatch, junior offensive tackle Tanner Hawkinson, senior linebacker Steven Johnson, sophomore punter Ron Doherty and junior wide receiver/kick returner D.J. Beshears, who all garnered third team honors.
In addition to being tabbed Midseason First Team All-Big 12, Biere was also named Midseason All-America Honorable Mention.
Biere, a 6-foot-4 tight end from Omaha, Neb., leads the Jayhawks with 19 receptions for 235 yards and a touchdown. He was recently named the College Football Performance Awards Tight End of the Week after his seven-catch, 93-yard performance at No. 6 Oklahoma State last weekend.
Beshears, a 5-foot-8 wide receiver/kick returner from Denton, Texas, leads the Big 12 in all-purpose yards (923) and has 624 yards returning kicks. Beshears was named to the Phil Steele All-Big 12 Third Team following the 2010 season as well.
Doherty, a 5-foot-11 punter from Klein, Texas, ranks third in the league with a 45.9 punting average. He has placed two kicks inside the 20-yard line and has had five of his 17 punts go 50 yards or more.
Hatch, a 6-foot-3 center from Dallas, Texas, and Hawkinson, a 6-foot-6 tackle from McPherson, Kan., are both veterans on the Kansas offensive line. They have helped open holes for a KU rushing attack, which ranks fourth in the conference with 4.4 yards per run. They also helped the Jayhawks gain 524 yards in a game this season against Northern Illinois.
Johnson, a 6-foot-2 linebacker from Media, Pa., is second in the Big 12 with 50 tackles this season. He has four tackles behind the line of scrimmage and one forced fumble. Johnson tallied a season-high 15 stops in KU’s opening day win against McNeese State. He has three games this year where he has tallied double-digit tackling numbers.
The Jayhawks will host No. 1/3 Oklahoma Saturday at Memorial Stadium in a game that can be seen at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN2.
2011 Phil Steele Midseason All-America Team
Honorable Mention
TE – Tim Biere
2011 Phil Steele Midseason All-Big 12 Team
First Team
TE – Tim Biere
Third Team
C – Jeremiah Hatch
OT – Tanner Hawkinson
LB – Steven Johnson
P – Ron Doherty
KR – D.J. Beshears
