Hewig, a 6-foot, 290-pound native of Evansville, Ind., is in his second year starting on the offensive line. Last fall he graded out at 87 percent in nine contests, collecting 57 knockdown blocks in the process. That included receiving a season-best 91 percent grade against top-ranked Southern Illinois, a game in which he posted 12 pancakes. Off the field, Hewig was named to the Gateway Football Conference Academic Honor Roll following the year.
Perkins, an Indianapolis, Ind., resident had a breakout season in 2004, posting 43 receptions for a league-leading 849 yards and two touchdowns. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound wide receiver had four games with more than 100 yards, including a 126-yard effort in the regular-season opener at I-A Kansas State and a career-best 141 yards in a 17-10 win at nationally ranked Northern Iowa. Perkins had at least two catches in all but one of the Toppers’ 12 games.
A 6-foot-2, 200-pound cornerback from Louisville, Ky., Thomas has been named to three preseason All-America teams over the summer. In his first season after switching from safety, he tied for the league lead with seven interceptions, added eight passes broken up and recorded a career-best 75 total tackles to earn third-team All-America and first-team all-conference accolades.
Williams is a 6-foot-2, 270-pound Baxley, Ga., native who is entering his second season on the Hill. He was named to the Gateway’s All-Newcomer Team in 2004 after posting 32 tackles, including 8.5 behind the line of scrimmage, after transferring from Georgia Military College. Williams had a career-high five total stops in back-to-back victories over rival Eastern Kentucky and Youngstown State, which included three tackles for loss against EKU.
The eighth-ranked Hilltoppers open the regular season Thursday with a 6:30 p.m. (CDT) kickoff at L.T. Smith Stadium/Jimmy Feix Field against West Virginia Tech.
