A transfer from Louisville after sitting out the 2005 campaign, Boyd was honored for the second time in two days after being selected second-team all-league Tuesday. He led all newcomers on the team with 70 stops and two interceptions, as he stands 19th in the conference in tackles per game and seventh after defending eight passes. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound resident of Madisonville, Ky., had seven stops — including one for loss — in his collegiate debut at I-A Georgia, as he would go on to post at least five tackles in all but one game including a career-high eight against No. 6 Illinois State and Missouri State.
The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Etheridge contributed both as a cornerback and a return specialist this fall. He ranks fourth in the conference with 21.6 yards per kick return, which included a team-best 47 yard run back against Illinois State, as he finished third in the category in league-only games — his efforts helped the Hilltoppers lead the Gateway and rank 15th in the country in kick returns. On defense, the St. Petersburg, Fla., native posted 20 total tackles, including one for loss, and two passes broken up with a career-high five stops against ILS and No. 13 Southern Illinois.
Gaebler ranks in the top 10 in the GFC in both receptions and yards per game after catching 36 balls for 416 yards and two touchdowns despite missing the Hilltoppers’ final three games with an injury. That included tying for the league lead in Gateway-only games with six receptions per contest, and finishing fourth in conference games with 74.8 yards per outing. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Mundelein, Ill., product recorded career highs with 10 catches for 133 yards at SIU, becoming just the sixth player in school history to collect 10 receptions in a game.
A 5-foot-8, 195-pound Harrodsburg, Ky., resident, McCloud was second on the team with 443 rushing yards and four scores despite missing the first five games of the year — he actually led the team on the ground over the final six contests — while averaging a team-best 5.8 yards per carry. McCloud paced WKU in rushing on three occasions, including posting 117 yards and a touchdown in his collegiate debut to help the Hilltoppers pick up a win at Missouri State as well as a game- and career-best 166 yards and three scores in the Toppers’ victory over Indiana State.
