Redshirt senior tight end Mik’Quan Deane and redshirt junior right tackle Miles Pate have been named to the All-Conference USA Second Team for 2018. They headline a WKU team that received 13 total honors from the conference on Tuesday. 

Pate started all 12 games for the Hilltoppers this year, and was an important part of an offense that increased its run output by 76 yards per game. Deane led all C-USA tight ends in receptions (44) and touchdowns (six) in 2018. 

WKU also had four players on the C-USA All-Freshman Team: linebacker Rex Henderson, defensive end Juwuan Jones, kick returner Garland LaFrance and running back Joshua Samuel. 

Samuel totaled 639 rushing yards this year, which ranked seventh in the conference. It was the fourth-most by a freshman in WKU football history. LaFrance had 564 all-purpose yards. Jones played in 546 snaps, a conference-high among freshmen, and had five sacks, which was a WKU FBS-era record. 

Eight Hilltoppers received all-conference honorable mention: redshirt junior defensive back Ta’Corian Darden, senior safety Drell Greene, redshirt junior linebacker Ben Holt, redshirt junior wide receiver Lucky Jackson, Jones, redshirt sophomore safety Devon Key, sophomore defensive end DeAngelo Malone and redshirt senior linebacker Masai Whyte. 

Sports Editor Jeremy Chisenhall can be reached at 270-745-6291 and [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JSChisenhall.