The Mountain West Conference announced their All-Conference teams for the 2011 football season last week and Boise State senior quarterback Kellen Moore was honored as the Offensive Player of the Year. Moore led a total of 12 Boise State players, all seniors, on the All-Conference teams with seven of the honorees being named to the 1st team.
It was the third consecutive year that Moore garnered league Offensive Player of the Year honors with the last two coming in 2009 and 2010 when the Broncos were in the Western Athletic Conference. He was named conference Freshman of the Year and 2nd team All-Conference after his freshman season in 2008.
In addition to Moore, offensive tackle Nate Potter earned the 1st team honor for the third consecutive season. Doug Martin, Shea McClellin and George Iloka were each named to the 1st team for the second season in a row and were joined this season by defensive end Tyrone Crawford and record-setting receiver Tyler Shoemaker.
The seven 1st team All-Conference honorees are four fewer than last season when the Broncos dominated the WAC voting with an astounding 11 members. The only player that did not repeat the honor or graduate from last season’s team was center Thomas Byrd who dealt with knee injuries and limited playing time all season.
Billy Winn was named to the 2nd team for the third consecutive season. The senior from Las Vegas does not put up the same eye-popping numbers that some of the other defensive tackles in the league do, but his impact on the game is obvious in other ways. He frees up McClellin and Crawford, in particular, to wreak havoc on opposing backfields.
Four Broncos were named as Honorable Mention members of the squad. Linebacker Byron Hout received the honor after being named 2nd team All-WAC last season and was joined this year by defensive tackle Chase Baker, tight end Kyle Efaw and punter Brad Elkin.
Conference champion TCU placed six members on the 1st team led by Defensive Player of the Year Tank Carder. Wide receiver Josh Boyce, who burned Boise State for three touchdowns in the Horned Frogs’ win over the Broncos last month, joined Shoemaker as a selection at wide receiver. A pair of TCU offensive linemen were also named to the squad in senior Kyle Dooley and junior Blaize Foltz. Returner Greg McCoy and defensive lineman Stansly Maponga rounded out the group.
Running back Ronnie Hillman of San Diego State was a repeat honoree and has a chance to be a four-time member of the team if he remains with the Aztecs for all four seasons of his eligibility. Hillman and Nate Potter were the only two members of the conference to be voted unanimously to the 1st team. That means, of course, that Kellen Moore was inexplicably left off the 1st team ballot of at least one coach or media member. TCU’s Casey Pachall was named as the 2nd team quarterback while no other quarterback in the league was named as even an Honorable Mention candidate.
The Aztecs also had seven members on the squad, led by Hillman. Also a repeat honoree from last year was linebacker Miles Burris, who many thought might take home the Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Gavin Escobar was the 1st team tight end and Tommie Draheim was named as an offensive lineman. Leon McFadden and Larry Parker, the starting cornerbacks for the Aztecs, both made the squad as did punter Brian Stahovich. McFadden and Stahovich were repeat 1st team selections.
UNLV and Wyoming did not have representatives on the 1st team while New Mexico and Colorado State placed only one player on the squad, linebacker Carmen Messina and defensive lineman Nordly Capi, respectively. Wyoming coach Dave Christiansen was named Coach of the Year and true freshman quarterback Brett Smith was the Freshman of the Year.
The Broncos were blessed to have eight 1st or 2nd team members of the 2010 All-WAC team returning for this season. They will have their work cut out for them next year with all 12 honorees exhausting their eligibility. The cupboard is far from bare, however.
Freshman receiver Matt Miller was a revelation and sophomore offensive tackle Charles Leno was also a standout, protecting Kellen Moore’s blind side. The defensive line graduates all four starters but tackles Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe and Mike Atkinson both flashed all-league potential at times this season. Linebacker J.C. Percy has been a tackling machine for the Broncos and the secondary will welcome back a pair of senior starters next season in cornerbacks Jamar Taylor and Jerrell Gavins.
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