Charlotte 49ers’ LeMay, Clark, Highsmith make first-team all-Conference USA

The Charlotte 49ers have placed three players on the all-Conference USA first team.

Running back Benny LeMay, offensive tackle Cameron Clark and defensive end Alex Highsmith — all seniors and each a key senior member of the 49ers’ first bowl team — were named to the squad.

Five other 49ers — quarterback Chris Reynolds, receiver Victor Tucker and defensive end Markees Watts, all sophomores, as well as linebacker Jeff Gemmell and defensive back Nafees Lyon, both seniors, received honorable mention.

LeMay, who played at Butler High, leads C-USA with 127.9 all-purpose yards per game and is second in rushing yards per game (103.7). Despite missing two games due to an Achilles tendon injury, he rushed for 1,037 yards for the season, the first Charlotte player in program history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.

Clark is part of a line that has led the league’s top rushing attack (213.3 yards per game). He’s also played in a school-record 48 career games.

Highsmith, a first-team selection last season, ranks second in the nation in sacks (14.0) and fourth in tackles-for-loss (21.5) — leading C-USA in both categories.

The 49ers (7-5) will play Buffalo in the Bahamas Bowl on Dec. 20.