Skipper, Williams Earn All-SEC Props

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Senior offensive lineman Dan Skipper and sophomore running back Rawleigh Williams III represented Arkansas on the Coaches All-SEC teams released on Tuesday. Skipper is the 10th offensive lineman in program history to be named to the Coaches All-SEC first team while Williams’ SEC-leading 1,326 rushing yards earned him a spot on the second team.

A three-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, Skipper’s first team honor follows a junior campaign in 2015 in which he was named to the All-SEC second team by the league coaches and Associated Press. Williams is the ninth different Arkansas running back to earn All-SEC status from the coaches.

Skipper recently accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game held in January after a senior campaign in which he started all 12 regular season games at left tackle. One of two players to be named SEC Lineman of the Week twice this season, Skipper helped pave the way for Williams to capture the SEC regular season rushing title with 1,326 yards on the ground while junior quarterback Austin Allen has thrown for 3,152 yards, including a league-best 2,291 in conference play. Arkansas is one of nine FBS teams with a 1,300-yard rusher and 3,000-yard passer. All three of Skipper’s career offensive lineman of the week awards came over the last 16 weeks of SEC regular season action while he also added a SEC Special Teams Player of the Week accolade to his collection this season.

One of just sixth offensive lineman in Arkansas history to earn All-SEC honors twice in his career, Skipper enters Arkansas Belk Bowl appearance with 46 consecutive starts along the offensive line. Of those 46 starts, 25 have come at left tackle, 13 at right tackle and eight at left guard.

Williams became just the 13th running back in SEC history to win the league’s Offensive Player of the Week nod three times in a season. His third SEC weekly award of 2016 came after a career-high 205 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a win at Mississippi State. Not only did Williams become the fourth player in Arkansas history to rush for 200 yards in an SEC game, but he also threw a touchdown pass to go along with his four scores on the ground. Williams is the only non-QB in college football this season to rush for four touchdowns and pass for a TD in the same game.

After missing the final six games of his freshman campaign in 2015 due to a neck injury, Williams has reached the 100-yard plateau on the ground in a league-best seven games in 2016, while his 1,326 yards are fifth-best in program single-season history. The Dallas native also has over a 200-yard lead on the rest of the SEC in yards from scrimmage (1,553) while adding 12 total touchdowns.