Utah State Football Has 12 Players Earn All-Conference Honors
Utah State had 12 football players earn various all-conference accolades, including linebackers Kyler Fackrell and Nick Vigil, who both garnered first-team honors, as the league office announced its postseason football honors Dec. 1. (graphic from Athletics website)
Utah State [University] had 12 football players earn various all-conference accolades, including linebackers Kyler Fackrell and Nick Vigil, who both garnered first-team honors, as the league office announced its postseason football honors Tuesday [Dec. 1, 2015].
In all, Utah State had six offensive players, five defensive players and one specialist recognized for a total of 12 all-conference awards to rank third in the league behind San Diego State (14) and Boise State (13). San Jose State ranked fourth with 11 all-conference honorees, followed by Colorado State (9), Air Force (7), Nevada (7), Hawai’i (6), New Mexico (4), Wyoming (4), Fresno State (3) and UNLV (3).
Along with Fackrell’s and Vigil’s first-team honors, Utah State also had one player earn second-team all-Mountain West accolades in wide receiver Hunter Sharp, while offensive tackle Austin Albrecht, defensive back Jalen Davis, nose guard David Moala, offensive guard Tyshon Mosley, quarterback Kent Myers, defensive end Jordan Nielsen, punt returner Andrew Rodriguez, offensive tackle Jake Simonich and offensive center Austin Stephens were all named to the honorable mention team.
San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, while SDSU’s Demontae Kazee was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, SDSU’s Rashaad Penny was named Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year and Boise State’s Brett Rypien earned Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors. San Diego State’s Rocky Long was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year.
For Fackrell, it marks the third time in his career that he has earned all-conference honors as he was named first-team all-Western Athletic Conference as a redshirt freshman in 2012, second-team all-Mountain West as a sophomore in 2013, and first-team all-Mountain West this season. Fackrell missed the 2014 season due to injury.
Overall, Fackrell is just the 15th player in school history to earn all-conference honors (first or second team) at least three times, joining Kent Ryan (1934-36), Murray Maughan (1938-40), Ralph Maughan (1943, ’46-47), Guy McClure (1978-81), Dave Kuresa (1982-84), Warren Bowers (1990-92), Abu Wilson (1992, ’94-96), Demario Brown (1996-97, ’99), Ken Watts (1996-98), Brent Passey (1998-2000), Emmett White (1999-2001), Bobby Wagner (2009-11), Tyler Larsen (2011-13) and Zach Vigil (2012-14).
Nielsen is also earning all-conference honors for the third time in his career as he earned second-team all-WAC honors as a redshirt freshman in 2012 and honorable mention all-Mountain West honors in both 2014 and 2015.
Aggies who earned all-conference honors for the second time in their careers this season include Sharp, Simonich, Stephens and Vigil, while Albrecht, Davis, Moala, Mosley, Myers and Rodriguez all earned all-conference honors for the first time.
During the 2014 season, Vigil was named first-team all-Mountain West, while Sharp, Simonich and Stephens all earned honorable mention honors.
Fackrell, a 6-5, 250-pound senior linebacker from Mesa, Ariz. (Mesa HS), currently ranks first in the nation in fumbles recovered with five (0.42 pg), seventh in the Mountain West in tackles for loss with 13.5 (1.12 pg) and 27th in the MW in tackles with 76 (6.3 pg). Overall, he ranks first on the team with his 13.5 tackles for loss, first on the team with his 12 quarterback hurries and tied for first with his 4.0 sacks.
His 76 tackles is second on the team, as are his three games with double-digit tackles, all of which came against Mountain West opponents. He is also tied for first on the team with his two forced fumbles, to go along with a defensive touchdown on a fumble recovery in the end zone against Nevada (11/21).
On the season, Fackrell was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week twice, after his performances against Boise State (10/16) and Nevada (11/21). Against the Broncos, he had 11 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. Against the Wolf Pack, he recorded 10 tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown.
Vigil, a 6-2, 235-pound junior linebacker from Plain City, Utah (Fremont HS), ranks first in the Mountain West and tied for fifth in the nation in tackles with 140 (11.7 pg) and tied for ninth in the MW in tackles for loss with 12.5 (1.04 pg).
On the season, Vigil leads the team with 140 tackles and is second with 12.5 tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries, while tying for first on the team with 4.0 sacks and two forced fumbles. Vigil leads the linebackers and is tied for fourth on the team with two pass breakups, to go along with two fumble recoveries, which ranks tied for second on the team.
Vigil recorded a career-high 20 tackles against Air Force (11/14), which ranks tied for the fourth-most at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level this year, and has seven double-digit tackle outings on the season, including five during Mountain West play. Vigil’s 140 tackles this year ranks just outside the top five in a single season in Mountain West history, while ranking tied for ninth in Utah State history. Overall, Vigil led the Aggies in tackles in 10 of their 12 games this season.
Sharp, a 6-0, 200-pound junior wide receiver from Palmdale, Calif. (Highland HS/Antelope Valley JC), ranks first in the Mountain West and 27th in the nation in receiving touchdowns with eight (0.8 pg), tied for second in the MW and tied for 29th in the nation in receptions with 60 (6.0 pg), fourth in the MW and 46th in the nation in receiving with an average of 74.6 yards per game, seventh in the MW and 80th in the nation in all-purpose yards (106.2 pg) and 10th in the MW in scoring (5.4 ppg). Sharp is also tied for second in the MW and tied for 10th in the nation in kickoff return touchdowns with one (0.1 pg).
On the season, Sharp has caught a team-leading 60 passes for a team-best 746 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns, to go along with two 100-yard receiving games with a career-high 193 yards against Air Force (11/14) and 100 yards against BYU (11/28). Sharp has also returned seven kickoffs for 243 yards (35.4 ypr) and one touchdown on a 96-yard return against Nevada (11/21), eight punts for 48 yards (6.0 ypr), and has carried the ball eight times for 20 yards (2.5 ypc).
Albrecht, a 6-5, 295-pound junior offensive tackle from Sandy, Utah (Alta HS), has graded out at 75 percent this season, which includes two games over 80 percent. Overall, he has recorded a team-best 56 knockdowns, while allowing just two sacks, and has only had 10 missed assignments.
Davis, a 5-10, 175-pound sophomore cornerback from La Mesa, Calif. (Helix HS), ranks first on the team with eight passes defended, including a career-high three against Southern Utah (9/3), while ranking second on the team with two interceptions. Davis also tied for third on the team with three quarterback hurries and sixth in tackles (46), to go along with 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks and a forced fumble. Twice during the season, Davis tied his career high with seven tackles, doing so against New Mexico and Boise State. On special teams, Davis returned six punts for 57 yards (9.5 ypr) and six kickoffs for 106 yards (17.7 ypr).
Moala, a 6-2, 300-pound senior nose guard from Gardena, Calif. (Juniper Serra HS/Cettitos CC), ranks tied for first in the Mountain West and tied for sixth in the nation in blocked kicks with two (0.20 pg), and tied for third in the MW in forced fumbles with two (0.20 pg). Overall, Moala ranks tied for eighth on the team, and second among defensive linemen with 42 tackles, including a career-high eight against Utah (9/11). He is also tied for first on the team with 4.0 sacks and tied for fourth with his 10.0 tackles for loss. Moala also tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles while also contributing a pass breakup.
Mosley, a 6-5, 305-pound sophomore offensive guard from Sandy, Utah (Jordan HS), has graded out at 73 percent this season, which includes one game over 80 percent. Overall, he has recorded 34 knockdowns, and did not allow a single sack all year, while only having one missed assignment.
Myers, a 6-0, 195-pound sophomore quarterback from Rowlett, Texas (Sachese HS), ranks fifth in the Mountain West with his 14 passing touchdowns (1.8 pg). Overall, he led the team in both completions (107) and attempts (179) on the season for 1,470 yards and 14 passing touchdowns, all of which are career highs. On the season, he set a career high in passing efficiency (151.2). Against Air Force (11/14), he set single-game career highs with 25 completions, 47 attempts, 364 yards and four touchdowns.
As a rusher, Myers set a school single-game rushing record for a quarterback with his 191 yards against Colorado State (10/3) as he was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week. Overall, he ranks second on the team with his 348 rushing yards and his 43.5 rushing yards per game. Myers ranks third on the team with three rushing touchdowns.
Nielsen, a 6-5, 275-pound senior defensive end from Lewiston, Utah (Sky View HS), ranks tied for third in the Mountain West in fumbles recovered with two (0.17 pg) and is tied for fourth in tackles among defensive lineman in the league with 51 (4.2 pg). Overall, he ranks tied for second on the team in fumbles recovered (2), first among defensive linemen and fifth overall in tackles (51), including a career-high nine against San Diego State, sixth in tackles for loss (4.5) and tied for fourth in sacks (3.0), while adding a pass breakup.
Rodriguez, a 5-10, 185-pound redshirt junior punt returner from Allen, Texas (Allen HS/Houston), ranks tied for second in the Mountain West and tied for 12th in the nation in punt returns for touchdowns with one (0.08 pg), and second in the MW and 33rd in the nation in punt return average (9.7 ypr). On the season, Rodriguez returned 25 punts for 243 yards and one touchdown that went for 88 yards against Southern Utah (9/3). Against Southern Utah, he set school and MW records with eight punt returns that totaled 136 yards. For his efforts, he was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week following the game. Rodriguez also forced a fumble during a special teams tackle against New Mexico.
Simonich, a 6-5, 300-pound junior offensive tackle from Danville, Calif. (San Ramon Valley HS), has graded out at 74 percent this season, which includes four games over 80 percent. Overall, he has recorded 40 knockdowns, while allowing just one sack, and has only had 11 missed assignments.
Stephens, a 6-3, 305-pound junior offensive center from West Des Moines, Iowa (Valley HS/Iowa Western CC), has graded out at 78 percent this season, which includes four games over 80 percent. Overall, he has recorded 39 knockdowns, while allowing just one sack, and has only had seven missed assignments.
This season, Albrecht, Mosley, Simonich and Stephens have anchored an offensive line that has helped Utah State rank fourth in the Mountain West and tied for 26th in the nation in sacks allowed (1.3 pg), fifth in the MW and 60th nationally in scoring (29.7 ppg), fifth in the MW and 90th in the nation in passing (202.9 ypg), sixth in the MW and 85th nationally in completion percentage (.561), seventh in the MW and 77th nationally in passing efficiency (124.8), ninth in the MW and 93rd in the nation in total offense (370.8 ypg), and 10th in the MW and 71st nationally in rushing (167.9 ypg).
Utah State (6-6, 5-3 MW) will conclude its 2015 season with its fifth-straight bowl game appearance, which is a school record. USU will learn its bowl destination and opponent on Sunday, Dec. 6.
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2015 Mountain West All-Conference Honors 
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