Two Charlotte 49ers earn all-Conference USA honors
Charlotte 49ers red-shirt junior nose tackle Larry Ogunjobi and junior running back Kalif Phillips are the first football players in 49ers history to earn all-conference honors; they were named to the 2015 all-Conference USA Second Team.
“It’s a good honor for them individually and for us as a program, as we take the next step” said 49ers head coach Brad Lambert. “These are two guys that have been here since our first season in 2013, and they’ve worked extremely hard and put themselves in position to be successful. They’re both humble guys who show up and work every day.”
Ogunjobi, who is one of two players that has started every game in 49ers history, shared the Conference USA lead for tackles for loss (TFL) with a school-record 14.5. He was the 49ers third-leading tackler (62) and finished the season with a 49ers record 152 career tackles.
A computer science and biology major, Ogunjobi ranks ninth in the NCAA among active FBS players with 1.04 tackles for loss per game over his three-year career. He holds 49ers career records with 152 tackles, 35.5 TFL and 10 sacks and single-season records with 14.5 TFL and five sacks. He was the first player to be honored with the 49ers prestigious no. 49 jersey, in Charlotte’s inaugural game back in 2013.
“Larry has been a very productive guy for us on defense,” Lambert added. “He’s part of our original class that came in in 2012, and he’s made a lot of plays for us. He’s active behind the line of scrimmage and has just been a very productive and durable guy. It’s been fun to watch him get better each year.”
Phillips, who has been the 49ers leading rusher the last two years, ranked sixth in C-USA with 87.4 rushing yards per game, despite gaining just 10 yards on four carries in his last two games due to injury. He averaged 105.7 yards for the 49ers first nine games and finished the season tied for first in C-USA with 190 carries which produced 961 yards. His 99-yard rushing average in C-USA games was third-best in the league.
“Kalif has a unique ability to make people miss but be a real physical runner at the same time,” Lambert said. “He’s shown he can play at the FBS level. We’ve been real proud of him and what he’s been able to do since he’s been at Charlotte.”
The all-Conference USA football teams consist of 12 offensive and 11 defensive players on the first team and 15 offensive and 12 defensive players on the second team. There are five special teams players on both the first and second teams. The squads are selected in a vote by the league’s 13 football coaches.