HARRISONBURG – Virginia Tech’s Bryan Randall and James Madison’s Mickey Matthews received the top awards for the 2004 Virginia Sports Information Directors Association Division I All-State Football Team.  Randall, a senior quarterback, was named the state player of the year and Matthews the state coach of the year.

The major player of the year honor was the third for Randall, who also received the state’s Dudley Award and was player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  The quarterback in 2004 threw for 2,264 yards and 21 touchdowns and ran for 511 yards and three scores while leading Virginia Tech to a 10-3 record and to the Atlantic Coast Conference title.

Matthews directed James Madison to a 13-2 record and to the NCAA Division I-AA national championship and was named the national Division I-AA coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association.  JMU in 2004 became the first Division I-AA team to win three road playoff games before the Dukes defeated Montana in Chattanooga, Tenn., for the NCAA championship.

Sports information directors from university and college division programs throughout Virginia took part in the voting.  Virginia had eight players selected, Virginia Tech six in addition to Randall’s player of the year honor, William & Mary four, Hampton and James Madison three, and Norfolk State and Virginia Military Institute one.

Five players from Virginia, two from Hampton and William & Mary, and one from James Madison and Virginia Tech were named on offense.  Chosen from Virginia were tight end Heath Miller, center Zac Yarbrough, guard Elton Brown, tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and running back Alvin Pearman.  William & Mary’s Lang Campbell finished ahead of Randall in quarterback voting and was joined on offense by teammate Dominique Thompson (wide receiver).  Hampton’s Alonzo Coleman (running back) and Jerome Mathis (wide receiver), James Madison guard Matt Magerko and Virginia Tech tackle Joe Dunn completed the unit.

While Campbell won the quarterback balloting, Randall was the leader among five who received player of the year votes.  Also receiving player of the year votes were Campbell, who was the Walter Payton Award winner as Division I-AA’s top offensive player; Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks, who was a finalist for the Butkus Award; Miller, who was a consensus All-America; and Mathis, who was among Division I-AA’s top players as a receiver and kick returner.

Brown and Miller were named to the offensive team for the third straight year and Mathis for the second consecutive year.  Mathis also was honored as the 2004 team’s return specialist.

Four players from Virginia Tech, three from Virginia, two from James Madison, and one from Norfolk State, Virginia Military Institute and William & Mary were named on defense.  Named from Virginia Tech were linemen Jim Davis and Darryl Tapp and backs Vincent Fuller and Jimmy Williams.  Chosen from Virginia were lineman Andrew Hoffman and linebackers Darryl Blackstock and Brooks.  James Madison honorees were linebacker Kwynn Walton and back Tony LeZotte, and they were joined by Norfolk State linebacker Kevin Talley, Virginia Military Institute back Robert Mason, and William & Mary lineman Adam O’Connor.

Blackstock was named for the straight season and Talley for the second straight year.  The team's specialists were William & Mary placekicker Greg Kuehn, Virignia Tech punter Vinnie Burns, and Mathis.  Kuehn also was named to the team in 2002.