Carey, Taylor & Vilma Named First Team All-Americans By Southern Football Weekly
Nov. 26, 2003
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – Carey, Taylor & Vilma Named First Team All-Americans By Southern Football Weekly
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – A trio of Miami Hurricanes – senior offensive lineman Vernon Carey, junior safety Sean Taylor and senior linebacker Jonathan Vilma – have been named to Southern Football Weekly magazine’s 2003 All-America Football Team, the magazine announced late Tuesday.
The honor is the first for Carey, a senior stalwart in Miami’s offensive line whose versatility as a standout guard and tackle has been put to the test this season by injuries in the Hurricanes’ offensive front. In spite of minor injuries of his own, Carey has produced a dominant season for the Hurricanes as he has spearheaded an offensive front that has paved the way for Miami to average 389.5 yards total offense per game, including 222.2 through the air and 167.3 on the ground, while allowing only 14 quarterback sacks this season through 11 games.
Despite missing a game with an injury, Taylor leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks fifth nationally in interceptions per game (0.70) with seven, a total that ranks fifth for interceptions in a season at Miami. He ranks second on the Hurricanes in total tackles with 71 (44 solos). He has produced a team-best 13 pass breakups this season along with 7 tackles for losses, one quarterback sack and one quarterback hurry. Taylor also has been a force on special teams, having blocked a punt, taken back four punts for a total of 52 yards (13.0 avg.) and returned three kickoffs for 86 yards (28.7 avg.), including a 68-yard return against Florida. Additionally, Taylor has returned interceptions for an average of 25.3 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown return at Boston College, a 50-yard scoring runback at Florida State, and a 44-yard scoring runback this past Saturday against Rutgers. His three TD returns of interceptions this season is a Miami single-season record.
Vilma is a finalist for the Butkus Award and leads the team with 108 total tackles (60 solos), 11 tackles for losses, two quarterback sacks, two quarterback hurries, has recovered two fumbles, forced a fumble and has three pass breakups. Vilma has made double-digits in tackles six times this season, and his 16 tackles against both Tennessee and Rutgers is an individual team high for the Hurricanes in 2003.
