Dec. 19, 2006
ATHENS, Ohio - Junior running back Kalvin McRae (Decatur, Ga.) and freshman punt returner Chris Garrett (Bristow, Va.) have been named honorable mention All-Americans by the website Collegefootballnews.com. McRae is ranked as the 10th-best running back in the nation, while Garrett is slotted as the seventh-best punt returner in the country.
A two-time first-team All-MAC selection by the league's coaches, McRae was previously named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year by Collegefootballnews.com. McRae ranks second in the MAC with 1,215 rushing yards and sits third in the league with an average of 93.5 yards per game. He broke the Bobcat single-season record with 15 rushing touchdowns and established another school mark with seven consecutive 100-yard rushing games earlier this season. McRae is only the second Ohio player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons (Arnold Welcher, 1975-76). He is 100 yards shy of matching Steveland Hookfin's school-record season rushing total of 1,315.
Garrett was named to the website's All-MAC team as well after leading the league in punt returns. His 15.26 yards per return average ranks fifth in the nation and first in the country among freshmen. Garrett was a third-team Freshman All-America pick by The Sporting News. His 351 punt return yards in 2006 puts him third on the Bobcats' single-season ledger, and he is just 17 yards shy of cracking Ohio's all-time top 10 in punt return yards. Earlier this season, Garrett set a school record with an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown.
McRae and Garrett were one of nine MAC players to crack the Collegefootballnews.com All-America Teams. Ohio, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan each put two players on the list.
The Bobcats will face Southern Miss in the 2007 GMAC Bowl on Jan. 7 in Mobile, Ala. It is Ohio's first bowl appearance since the 1968 Tangerine Bowl. For ticket and travel information, call the Ohio Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-575-CATS or visit www.ohiobobcats.com.
