SAN ANTONIO -- Following a record-breaking season full of firsts for the University of the Incarnate Word football program, UIW Head Coach Eric Morris was selected the Southland Conference Coach of the Year, while true freshman Jon Copeland was named SLC Freshman of the Year, the league office announced Tuesday. Additionally, UIW had four first team selections and three named to the second team.
 
RB Ra'Quanne Dickens, WR Phillip Baptiste, OL Brandon Floores, and DL Justin Alexandre earned first team honors, while Copeland, OL Terence Hickman II, and LB Silas Stewart were second team.
 
"I'm incredibly proud of this team, and today's announcement just backs up what we've seen all year long as a coaching staff," said Morris. "From the moment I stepped foot on campus, the guys bought into the culture we were trying to build. Our seven All-Southland student-athletes helped lead the way in establishing that culture and their success reflects the growth of our program."
 
UIW HEAD COACH ERIC MORRIS – COACH OF THE YEAR
Morris, also an Eddie Robinson Award finalist for national coach of the year, took a team that was 1-10 overall with a 1-7 mark in SLC action and guided it to not only its first Southland Conference championship (co-champions with Nicholls), but also to its first berth in the FCS Playoffs.
 
Following a 40-27 victory over Central Arkansas on Nov. 10, UIW earned its first ranking in program history, coming in at No. 24 in the STATS FCS Media Poll. Sunday, prior to being selected for the FCS Playoffs, the Cardinals were ranked No. 24 in both the STATS FCS Media Poll and the AFCA Coaches Poll.
 
FRESHMAN QB JON COPELAND – FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR, SECOND TEAM
Copeland has been a leader on the team since he stepped foot on campus, breaking multiple UIW records as a freshman, including: passing yards in a single season (2,984), total offense (3,061), passing completions (208) and passing touchdowns (22).
 
The freshman spearheaded the top offense in the conference and one of the best in the nation. UIW leads the conference in scoring, averaging 34.3 points per game, the 18th-best mark in the nation. The Cardinal offense ranks best in the conference and eighth best in the nation in total offense, averaging 493.3 yards per game.
 
Copeland threw for 515 yards against Lamar earlier this season (Oct. 13, 2018). That was the first 500+ yard throwing performance in program history and one of just three such performances by a quarterback in the nation throughout the season.
 
SENIOR RB RA'QUANNE DICKENS – FIRST TEAM
Dickens was a force in the Cardinal backfield all season, using explosive plays to light a spark in the UIW offense. He finished the regular season with 13 plays of 20+ yards, five of those going for touchdowns.
 
Dickens became UIW's first 1,000-yard rusher when he ran for 213 yards at Central Arkansas on Nov. 11. He currently has 1,054 rushing yards, a program record. These rushing yards lead the conference and rank No. 18 in the nation for an individual.
 
His 90-yard touchdown run against New Mexico on Sept. 1  set a UIW record for the longest touchdown score in program history.
 
SENIOR WR PHILLIP BAPTISTE – FIRST TEAM
Baptiste came in clutch for the Cardinals all season, amassing 18 20-yard plays, six for touchdowns. He racked up 842 receiving yards during the regular season, a mark which ranks third in the league and No. 31 nationally.
 
Baptiste now has 1,465 career receiving yards, third most of any UIW student-athlete. He had nine catches for 158 yards at UCA, marking his third 100+ yard receiving game of the season.
 
JUNIOR OL BRANDON FLOORES – FIRST TEAM
Floores became UIW's center at the start of the season, and has anchored an offensive line that has set new records in total offense (4,933 yards), total points (343) and touchdowns (46).
 
SENIOR DL JUSTIN ALEXANDRE – FIRST TEAM
Alexandre enjoyed a ground-breaking season for the Cardinals, tying the single-season program sack record with 8.5 sacks during the regular season. He recorded 12.5 tackles for loss, had three forced fumbles, and registered 46 tackles.
 
JUNIOR OL TERENCE HICKMAN II – SECOND TEAM
Hickman helped an offensive line that guided UIW to a 6-2 league record, a national ranking (No. 24 in both the STATS FCS Media Poll and the AFCA Coaches Poll), a SLC Championship (co-champions with Nicholls), and a berth in the FCS Playoffs. With Hickman on the OL, UIW racked up 1,696 rushing yards and converted eight fourth-down attempts.
 
SENIOR LB SILAS STEWART – SECOND TEAM
Stewart led the team on defense, amassing 85 tackles with 6.0 tackles for loss. Additionally, he snagged three interceptions, four pass breakups, two force fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one quarterback hurry. His ball-hawking mentality helped the Cardinal defense force 29 turnovers in just 10 regular season games, the most in the nation.
 
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The following Cardinals received honorable mention
Sr. WR Kody Edwards
Fr. RB Ameer King
Sr. DL Darrius Montgomery
Jr. LB Mar'kel Cooks
Jr. LB West Lambert
So. DB Malick Phillips
Jr. DB Louis Otis