Derek Pegues
| Derek Pegues | |
|---|---|
| College | Mississippi State |
| Conference | SEC |
| Sport | Football |
| Position | FS |
| Jersey # | 3 |
| Class | Junior |
| Major | Fitness Management |
| Career | 2005–present |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| Nationality | USA |
| Born | September 14, 1986 Batesville, MS |
| High school | South Panola HS |
| Career highlights | |
| Awards | |
| 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl MVP 2007 All-SEC First Team (AP, Rivals.com)[1], Second Team (SEC Coaches)[1] | |
| Bowl games | |
| 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl (MSU 10, UCF 3) | |
Derek Alan Pegues (born September 14, 1986 in Batesville, Mississippi)[1] is an American football player for the Mississippi State University Bulldogs. He is the cousin of former NFL Linebacker Dwayne Rudd.
Career
College
As a two-time All-SEC performer (2006-2007), Pegues has been a crucial piece of State's defense, one of the nation's most improved units in 2007. He will be one of college football's best Defensive Backs and top NFL Draft prospects in 2008. He was named the MVP of 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl game in Memphis, Tennessee for his two-interception performance which allowed Mississippi State to outlast Central Florida in a defensive stand-off and earn a 10-3 victory.
High School
- 2003 (Junior)
Pegues enjoyed an outstanding prep career at South Panola High School in Batesville, Mississippi. After starting at Cornerback for the South Panola Tigers as a sophomore during the 2002 season, which saw the team go 14-1 with their only loss coming from Wayne County High School in the MHSAA Class 5A (for Mississippi's largest schools) Championship game, by a score of 14-21, Pegues was moved to Quarterback to replace departed starter Rickey Wright, who had signed a letter of intent to play football at Mississippi State. In his first season at the helm of the Tigers' offense as a junior (2003), Pegues guided the team to a 15-0 record, the Class 5A State Championship and a #9 national ranking from USA Today. South Panola routed previously unbeaten Oak Grove High School 33-14 in the 5A title game. Pegues received First-Team All-State recognition from the Clarion-Ledger newspaper along with teammates Jamarca Sanford and Peria Jerry, South Panola Linebackers who are now standout players for the University of Mississippi's football team.[1]
- 2004 (Senior)
Prior to his 2004 senior season, Rivals.com reported that Pegues could bench press an impressive 350 lbs. and run a blazing 4.4-second 40-yard dash. These numbers affirmed his talent as indicated by his accomplishments on the field and helped him earn scholarship offers from such elite college football programs as Alabama, Michigan, Auburn, Tennessee and Louisiana State in addition to Mississippi State.[1]
Pegues again guided the Tigers to a perfect season (15-0) in 2004 with a second consecutive 5A State Championship (the school's 4th) and another top-ten finish in USA Today's "Super 25" high school football rankings (#7). He was instrumental in the Tigers' 39-21 State Championship Game victory over Ocean Springs High School as he rushed for 244 yards and all 5 of South Panola's touchdowns. No player before or since has scored 5 touchdowns in the Class 5A Championship Game. Pegues was again named First-Team All-State by the Clarion-Ledger, along with teammates Travis Sanford, a Wide Receiver who signed with the Ole Miss Rebels, and John Jerry, currently a starting Offensive Guard at Ole Miss. He finished his high school career with a total of 4,104 rushing yards and 86 total touchdowns (passing, rushing, receiving, kick and punt returns and interception returns).[1]
- 2005 Army All-American Game
Pegues was selected to play in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas in January of that year. The game pits the nation's best high school seniors against one another in an East-vs.-West matchup. Pegues, a member of the West squad, was one of three Mississippians who played in the game, the most ever in the same year (the other two were Jerrell Powe, a former Ole Miss signee, and Josh McNeil, currently the starting Center for the Tennessee Volunteers). Pegues, Powe and McNeil joined an extremely talent-laden line-up for the West including such future college football stars as (Wisconsin Badgers Tight End) Travis Beckum, (Texas Longhorns Running Back) Jamaal Charles, (Cal Golden Bears Wide Receiver) DeSean Jackson, (Nebraska Cornhuskers Running Back) Marlon Lucky, (USC Trojans Linebacker) Rey Maualuga, (LSU Tigers Quarterback) Ryan Perriloux, (Oklahoma Sooners Linebacker) Ryan Reynolds, (USC Trojans Quarterback) Mark Sanchez, and (Oregon Ducks Running Back) Jonathan Stewart. Pegues' performance in the game was spectacular; he intercepted a pass, ran for a first down on a fake punt[1] and wowed viewers by shutting down two of the nation's best players in East Wide Receivers Fred Rouse (now of the UTEP Miners) and Patrick Turner (now of the USC Trojans), even though both players physically towered over his 5'10" frame at 6'3" and 6'5", respectively. His performance earned him "Defensive Player of the Game" honors.[2]
- 2005 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic
Later in 2005, Pegues would guide another team to an All-Star victory. Pegues played Running Back in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic, which annually pits the best players from each state against one another at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Pegues picked up 15 carries for 106 yards (7.1 average) and a touchdown in a 21-18 Mississippi victory[3]. He was again joined by his fellow Mississippi teammates from the Army Game, Wayne County's Jerrell Powe and Collins High's Josh McNeil, as well as Brookhaven's Jimmy Johns, an Alabama signee who had beaten Pegues for the "Mr. Football" award annually bestowed upon the State's best player.[1]
Statistics
College
- Defense[1]
| GP/GS | TCKL | TFL-YDS | SCK-YDS | FF/FR | BRKUP | INT-YDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 (Fr.) | 11/0 | 14 | - | - | 1/0 | 2 | 1-3 |
| 2006 (So.) | 12/12 | 32 | 1.5-6 | - | 0/0 | 5 | 4-95 |
| 2007 (Jr.) | 13/13 | 50 | 2-3 | - | 0/1 | 7 | 5-120 |
| Total | 36/25 | 96 | 3.5-9 | - | 1/1 | 14 | 10-218 |
- Kick Return[1]
| GP/GS | RET | YARDS | AVG | TD | LONG (OPP) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 (Fr.) | 11/0 | 28 | 559 | 20 | 0 | 51 (Auburn) |
| 2006 (So.) | 12/12 | 29 | 687 | 23.7 | 0 | 61 (Tulane) |
| 2007 (Jr.) | 13/13 | 24 | 544 | 22.7 | 0 | 51 (West Virginia) |
| Total | 36/25 | 81 | 1790 | 22.1 | 0 | 61 (Tulane) |
High School
- Passing[1]
| Comp | Att | % | Yards | TD | INT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 (Jr.) | 59 | 102 | 57.8 | 1,160 | 13 | 4 |
| 2004 (Sr.) | - | - | - | 637 | 6 | - |
| Total | - | - | - | 1,797 | 19 | - |
- Rushing[1]
| Att | Yards | Avg | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 (Jr.) | 138 | 1,460 | 10.5 | 28 |
| 2004 (Sr.) | - | 1,659 | - | 26 |
| Total | - | 3,119 | - | 54 |
- Defense[1]
| Tckl | BrkUp | INT | FR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 (Jr.) | 45 | 15 | 7 | 2 |
| 2004 (Sr.) | 51 | - | 5 | - |
| Total | 96 | - | 12 | - |
Awards
College
- 2007 All-SEC First Team (AP, Rivals.com), Second Team (SEC Coaches)[1]
High School
- First-Team All-State selection by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 2003-2004[1]
- First-Team Class 5A All-State selection by the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) in 2004
- Defensive Player of the Game in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl as a member of the West squad[1]
- Named one of three finalists for Mississippi's 2004 "Mr. Football" award, annually presented to the State's top player by the Clarion-Ledger, along with Ole Miss signee Jerrell Powe and current Alabama player Jimmy Johns, who won the award[1]
- Played Running Back in the 2005 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star football game, leading the Mississippi team to a 21-18 victory[1]
- Named to the Clarion-Ledger 2004 "Dandy Dozen" list, representing the paper's selection of the State's top 12 players[1]
- College Prospect Rankings
- #4 Cornerback prospect, #2 Mississippi prospect, #35 overall prospect (Rivals.com)[1]
- #5 Cornerback prospect, #54 Southeast prospect (Scout.com)[1]
- #1 prospect in Mississippi according to the "10 Most Wanted" rankings by the Clarion-Ledger[1]
- #4 Cornerback prospect, #1 prospect in Mississippi (Superprep Magazine)[1]
- #3 prospect in Mississippi (BulldogBlitz.com)[1]
- #4 prospect in Mississippi (Dawgs' Bite Magazine)[1]
External Links
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Mississippi State Athletics (29 December 2007). "Derek Pegues Bio". mstateathletics.com. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Scout.com (5 January 2005). "2005 US Army Game Roster". Scout.com. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ AHSAAsports.com (17 December 2007). "Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic". AHSAAsports.com. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "SEC Football Players of the Week Announced (3)".
- ^ "SEC Football Players of the Week Announced (8)".
- ^ "SEC Football Players of the Week Announced (13)".