San Diego State University’s football team, which is preparing for Saturday’s Mountain West Conference championship game against the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo., reaped the rewards of its first-place finish among MW West Division teams with 12 selections to this year’s All-MW team.
Mater Dei Catholic High School alumnus Nico Siragusa is among the seven Aztecs named to the All-MW First Team. The senior offensive guard is the first San Diego State offensive lineman to be named a first-team all-MW selection twice in league history. He has started all 12 games at left guard this season, ranking as the fifth-best guard by Pro Football Focus and the third-best run blocker.
He also is the highest-rated offensive lineman on an Aztec unit that has produced 14 100-yard rushing games by three different running backs this year. Siragusa has helped SDSU rush for a school-record 3,311 yards with still two games to go. He has not allowed a sack or a quarterback hit in 778 snaps on the season.
Joining Siragusa on the all-conference first team are senior Donnel Pumphrey (Las Vegas), senior Damontae Kazee (San Bernardino), junior Rashaad Penny (Norwalk), senior defensive end Alex Barrett (Mesa, Ariz.), senior linebacker Calvin Munson (St. Charles, Mo.) and sophomore kicker John Baron II (Temecula, Calif.).
The seven first-team selections matched SDSU’s most in league history (also 2011 and 2015) and match the program’s most in any league since the 1974 squad put eight players on the PCAA First Team.
Pumphrey, Kazee and Penny have each been named players of the year by the Mountain West for the second consecutive season. Pumphrey was chosen as the MW Offensive Player of the Year, Kazee the MW Defensive Player of the Year and Penny the MW Special Teams Player of the Year.
The Aztecs (2015 and 2016) and TCU (2009 and 2010) are the only schools to win all three awards in the same season (both have done it twice) and the only team to win it back-to-back with the same three players.
Pumphrey is the first running back in league history to win the offensive player-of-the-year award twice and is the fourth player overall, joining Derek Carr (2012-13 at Fresno State), Andy Dalton (2009-10 at TCU) and Bradlee Van Pelt (2002-03 at Colorado State).
Kazee is the first cornerback in MW history to win the defensive player-of-the-year award twice and the fifth player overall, joining Tank Carder (2010-11 at TCU), Jerry Hughes (2008-09 at TCU), Eric Weddle (2005-06 at Utah) and Kirk Morrison (2003-04 at San Diego State).
Penny, meanwhile, is the second kick returner in conference history to win the special teams player-of-the-year award twice (also Jeremy Kerley, 2009-10 at TCU) and the third player overall (also Louie Sakoda, 2006-08 at Utah).
The Aztecs also landed three players on the second team: junior tight end David Wells (Clovis), senior offensive tackle Daniel Brunskill (Valley Center) and senior warrior (safety) Malik Smith (Compton). Senior defensive end Kyle Kelley (Irvine) and junior punt returner Quest Truxton (Newport Harbor) were both honorable-mention selections.
Pumphrey has a school-record 1,908 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 305 carries (6.3 avg.), while adding a team-high 26 catches for 205 yards (7.9 avg.). Pumphrey is ranked second in the country in rushing yards (1,908) and rushing yards per game (159.0), and third in all-purpose yards (2,119), despite not playing in the fourth quarter in four of the past six games.
A finalist for the Doak Walker Award (top running back), and semifinalist for the Maxwell Award (college player of the year) and Walter Camp Player-of-the-Year award, Pumphrey had a streak of nine games with at least 100 rushing yards earlier this season, the second longest in school history and the longest in MW history.
Pumphrey the first offensive player in MW history with three first-team honors (2014-16) and the third player overall (also Leon McFadden (2010-12) and Morrison (2002-04)).
Kazee, meanwhile, joins Morrison (2003-04) as the only multiple defensive player-of-the-year award winners in MW history. A three-time all-league pick over his career (also second team in 2014), Kazee has 54 tackles (39 solo), three tackles for loss, five interceptions for 112 yards (22.4 avg.) and a touchdown, six pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.
He ranks second in the MW in both interceptions per game (0.42, 10th nationally) and 12th in interception yards (112, 12th nationally). Kazee was on the Bednarik Award (collegiate defensive player of the year) and Jim Thorpe Award (top defensive back) watch lists. He has backed a defense that ranks seventh in rushing (113.33), 11th in total defense (318.25), 19th in scoring (20.75) and 20th in pass efficiency (114.96).
Penny, chosen as a PR/KR on the first team, is SDSU’s only special teams player of the year (also last year) and the only return specialist on the MW first team in league history (was also on the first team last year).
On the season, Penny has returned 16 kicks for 462 yards (28.9 avg.), including two touchdowns (100 and 93 yards), while rushing 110 times for 878 yards (8.0 avg.) with nine touchdowns, and adding 12 catches for 207 yards (17.2 avg.) and another three scores.
Penny, one of only 11 players in the country with at least nine rushing touchdowns and three receiving scores, and the only with two kick return TDs as well, ranks seventh in the nation (No. 1 in MW) in kick return average (28.8), despite being kicked away from most of the year.
He ranks first in the MW (No. 2 nationally) in kick return touchdowns (2), sixth in all-purpose yards per game (32ndnationally, 128.92) and total touchdowns (34th nationally, 14), eighth in rushing yards per game (73.17) and 10th in rushing touchdowns (71st nationally, 9).
Barrett, the first Aztec defensive lineman to earn first-team all-MW honors multiple times, has 47 tackles (25 solo), and team highs of 6.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 14 quarterback hurries, along with four pass breakups in 12 starts.
Barrett, an honorable-mention all-MW pick as a sophomore in 2014, is ranked fourth in the MW?in sacks per game (0.54) and sixth in tackles for loss per game (0.92). In the 18-year history of the league (since 1999), only two other SDSU defensive linemen have earned first-team all-league honors (Antwan Applewhite in 2006 and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila in 1999).
Like Barrett, Munson improved from honorable mention in 2014 to first-team all-MW each of the past two years. On the season, Munson has a team-high 99 tackles, 41 more than the next player on the team. His 99 tackles are tied with Nat Berhe (2013) for the most in the Rocky Long defensive coordinator era (since 2009) and he still has two games remaining. He also has 13 quarterback hurries, to go along with 9.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and three pass breakups.
Among the league leaders, Munson ranks ninth in the MW?(68th nationally) in tackles per game (8.25). Munson is the third Aztec linebacker in the MW era to be named a first-team all-conference selection multiple times (also Miles Burris in 2010-11 and Morrison in 2002-04). He was a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and on the watch list, and on the watch list for the Nagurski Award (national defensive player of the year) and the Butkus Award (top linebacker).
Baron II, the first Aztec kicker on a MW first team in league history and just the third in program history (also Chris O’Brien in 1985 and Al Limahelu in 1970), is nearly perfect so far, going 17-for-19 in field goal attempts and 49-for-51 in PATs.
A semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award (top kicker), Baron leads the team with 100 points, and is ranked 13th nationally (third in the MW) in field goal percentage (.895), 22nd (second in MW) in points per game among kickers (8.33), 22nd (fourth in MW) in points per game (8.33) and 43rd (fourth in MW) in field goals per game (1.45).
Among the single-season leaders at SDSU, he ranks tied for first in field goal percentage (.895), tied for fourth in field goals (17) and sixth in PATs (49). Baron has made 15 consecutive field goals from 50 or less yards, while kicking off 81 times for 5,056 yards (62.4 avg.), posting 25 touchbacks.
Arguably the best blocking tight end in the league, Wells earned his first all-conference honor by being named a second-team selection. He has started all 12 games at tight end, recording 20 catches for 254 yards (12.7 avg.) and four touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Wells is rated as the sixth-best tight end and the sixth-best run blocker.
Brunskill also earned second-team honors at offensive right tackle after being named an honorable-mention pick as a tight end last year. Brunskill has blocked for a team that has produced 14 100-yard rushing games by three different backs this year and a school-record 3,311 yards with still two games to go. According to Pro Football Focus, he is rated as the 12th-best tackle and the fourth-best run blocker. Brunskill has also allowed just one sack in 781 snaps on the year.
Smith garnered second-team accolades after being an honorable-mention selection each of the past two seasons (2014-15). On the year, he has 50 tackles (28 solo), including two tackles for loss, a 28-yard interception for a touchdown and six pass breakups.
Kelley picked up honorable-mention accolades in his first season as a starter. On the year, Kelley has 34 tackles (15 solo), including 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks for 19 yards and 11 quarterback hurries in 12 starts on the season.
Truxton is also an honorable-mention pick in his first season at SDSU, returning 24 punt returns for 250 yards and a league-best 10.4 average (19th nationally). He also has 10 catches for 147 yards (14.7 avg.) with three touchdowns, two rushes for 44 yards (22.0 avg.) and four kick returns for 61 yards (15.3 avg.).
Aztecs look for 21st conference title Saturday at Wyoming
San Diego State plays for its second consecutive Mountain West title, third in five years and 21st in school history when the Aztecs play at Wyoming at 5:45 p.m. MT?(4:45 p.m. PT) Saturday. The Aztecs are looking to become the first MW repeat champion in the two-division era (since 2013) and the first outright repeat champion since TCU?claimed titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
The game will be telecast on ESPN.
For the third straight season, SDSU has won at least a share of the Mountain West’s West Division title and will represent the West in the title game for a second consecutive year. Last year, San Diego State defeated Air Force, 27-24, at Qualcomm Stadium.
In last season’s title game, quarterback Christian Chapman, then a freshman, was 9-of-14 for 203 yards and was named the game’s offensive most valuable player. Na’im McGee recorded a team-high 10 tackles en route to winning the game’s defensive award.
The Aztecs are searching for their 10th win of the season. SDSU has eight double-digit win seasons in program history and three in the Division I era, including last year’s 11-3 record.
Heisman Trophy candidate Donnel Pumphrey continues to rank among the national (FBS)?leaders this season. He is currently second in rushing yards (1,908) and rushing yards per game (159.0), sixth in all-purpose yards per game (176.58) and 12th in rushing touchdowns (15).
Pumphrey is the active FBS career leader in rushing yards (6,180), all-purpose yards (7,264), rushing touchdowns (60), total touchdowns scored (65) and 100-yard rushing games (32). He is the only player in NCAA?history with at least 5,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards.
Pumphrey continues to climb the official NCAA?career rushing chart. His 6,180 yards rushing currently places him third on that chart. He needs 218 yards to surpass Ron Dayne’s (Wisconsin) career total of 6,397. If San Diego State?plays two more games (assumes a bowl game), Pumphrey would have to average 109.0 yards to break the record (2016 average is 159.0).
Damontae Kazee has a school-record 15 career interceptions, including five this season. He ranks second among all active FBS?players with his 15 picks and the Aztecs are 11-1 when he records an interception (note he has one three-interception game and one two-interception game). He was the 2015 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year (Kirk Morrison is the only other SDSU player to win that honor).
Junior running back and kick returner Rashaad Penny has five career kickoff returns for touchdowns. That is a school record, ranks second among all active FBS?players and is two short of the NCAA?record. In addition to his 22 career touchdowns (13 rushing, five kickoff returns, four receiving), he has 1,268 career rushing yards (878 of which has come this season). He is averaging 8.0 yards per carry in 2016, the fifth-highest total in FBS for any running back with at least 750 rushing yards.
San Diego State will be making its first appearance of the season on ESPN. The last time the Aztecs?were on the network, they defeated Cincinnati, 42-7, in the Hawai’i Bowl on Dec. 24, 2015. The last non-bowl appearance on ESPN?was on Oct. 4, 2013 against Nevada, a 51-44 OT victory.
Bowl game dates
The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl kicks off on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. and features an all-new pregame holiday celebration, Dexcom WinterFest.
The National Funding Holiday Bowl is set for 4:00 pm on Tuesday, Dec. 27 and features a free pregame FanZone.
Both games will be held at Qualcomm Stadium and will be televised by ESPN. For further information visit SanDiegoBowlGames.com.
Pairings will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 4.
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl teams are expected to be announced at approximately 12:30 pm.The SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl matches a top team from the Mountain West with the BYU Cougars.
National Funding Holiday Bowl teams are expected to be announced at approximately 1 p.m. The National Funding Holiday Bowl matches a top tier team from the Big Ten against the second selection from the Pac-12 after the College Football Playoff selections.
Biz Kid$ returns as San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl beneficiary
One dollar from every ticket sold for the game will benefit teachers and students in San Diego
Biz Kid$ has been named the beneficiary of the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. The award-winning comprehensive financial literacy program shows kids how to use credit wisely and educates them on the importance of saving, budgeting, investing and giving back to their communities. One dollar from each ticket sold to this year’s game will be donated to help provide financial education programs to kids in San Diego.
Biz Kid$ is a national public television series that promotes financial education for elementary through high school students and was created by the same team that produced “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
The money generated as a result of tickets sold for the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl will go towards providing additional sets of the complete SDCCU Biz Kid$ Program to teachers in San Diego County to ensure that our local students graduate high school with the critical financial skills needed to maintain a successful future. View the SDCCU Biz Kid$ program infographic.
“SDCCU is proud that Biz Kid$ is the beneficiary of the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl,” SDCCU President and CEO Teresa Halleck explained. “Each ticket sold for this year’s game has the potential to benefit thousands of students in our community, and the San Diego region, for years into the future.
“As San Diego’s largest locally-owned financial institution, and a Live Well San Diego partner, we are committed to encouraging and maintaining good financial health among individuals in our communities, which is essential to fostering a healthy and thriving economy.”
Tickets are on sale now for the 12th annual San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. SDCCU has served as the sponsor of the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl since the bowl game’s inception in 2005.
Tickets for the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl range from $45 to $80 and can be purchased through the bowl’s ticket office at Qualcomm Stadium – Gate A, or by calling (619) 285-5061. Tickets also can be purchased online at sandiegobowlgames.com, or through Ticketmaster.
BYU set for Poinsettia Bowl
With their 37-7 victory over Southern Utah on Nov. 12, head coach Kalani Sitake and the BYU Cougars notched their sixth win of the season, giving them a berth in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. The 12th annual bowl game kicks off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at Qualcomm Stadium.
“BYU has played a huge role in the growth of San Diego’s bowl games dating back to 1978, when they faced the Navy Midshipmen in the very first Holiday Bowl,” 2016 bowl game president Ted Tollner explained.
“I can’t wait to welcome the Cougars back to San Diego to play in the Poinsettia Bowl for the second time. Coach Sitake and his coaching staff have this team playing a very exciting brand of football that is going to make for a memorable evening at Qualcomm Stadium.”
This will mark the second time BYU has played in the Poinsettia Bowl. In 2012 the Cougars topped the hometown San Diego State Aztecs 23-6 in front of 35,442 fans behind an unforgettable performance by linebacker Kyle Van Noy. For the game, Van Noy notched eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, an interception that was returned for a touchdown and a blocked punt.
BYU has also played in 11 Holiday Bowl games, the last one in 1993. The Cougars lost that game to the Ohio State Buckeyes 28-21. BYU’s overall Holiday Bowl record is 4-6-1, the lone tie being a 13-13 defensive battle against the Iowa Hawkeyes. In the 1984 game, the Cougars defeated the Michigan Wolverines 24-17 to finish their season undefeated and clinch a National Championship. The Holiday Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl games are both produced by the San Diego Bowl Game Association.
“BYU has a storied bowl tradition in San Diego and we are excited to receive the formal invitation to play in this year’s San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl,” BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe said. “Coach Sitake, his staff and our team have done an outstanding job this season in their first year together. San Diego is a great destination for fans of BYU football and we have always loved the opportunity to play there. Mark Neville, Coach Ted Tollner, and all the staff with the San Diego Bowl Games do an incredible job putting on the game and we very much look forward to this opportunity.”
With the win over Southern Utah, the Cougars improved to 6-4 on the season. BYU ended the regular season with an 8-4 record after defeating UMass, 51-9, on Nov. 19, and Utah State4, 28-10, on Nov. 26.
An agreement between BYU and the Poinsettia Bowl outlined terms wherein the Cougars would play in the 2016 bowl game if they became bowl eligible with six wins.
BYU has played one of the toughest schedules in the country this year while suffering four losses by a combined eight points. Three of the Cougars’ defeats came by a combined five points on the road against current top-25 teams. BYU boasts a defense that has excelled at forcing turnovers, ranking No. 3 nationally entering Saturday’s game in both total turnovers (22) and passes intercepted (15). Leading the way is senior safety Kai Nacua, who ranks No. 2 in the nation with five interceptions.
Led by senior running back Jamaal Williams and senior quarterback Taysom Hill, the BYU offense features an almost perfectly balanced attack that totaled 1,748 rushing yards and 1,746 passing yards entering Saturday’s action. Williams entered the weekend ranked No. 8 nationally in rushing yards per game, averaging 129.3 yards each outing. He became BYU’s career rushing leader earlier this season and also set the single-game mark with a 286-yard, five-touchdown performance in BYU’s 55-53 win over Toledo.
This will mark the 35th bowl appearance in the program’s history. BYU has a 13-20-1 record in bowl games and will be making its 12th straight bowl appearance. Most recently the Cougars were defeated by Utah 35-28 in the 2015 Las Vegas Bowl.
BYU’s opponent will be a top team from the Mountain West.
Tickets for the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl include free access to an all-new pregame family experience called Dexcom WinterFest. Tickets can be purchased by calling the bowl office at (619)-285-5061, or online at SanDiegoBowlGames.com and through Ticketmaster.
2016 Mountain West All-Conference Football Awards (SDSU winners only)
Offensive Player of the Year: Donnel Pumphrey, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year: Damontae Kazee, Sr.
Special Teams Player of the Year: Rashaad Penny, Jr.
First Team
RB Donnel Pumphrey, Sr.
OL Nico Siragusa, Sr.
DL Alex Barrett, Sr.
LB Calvin Munson, Sr.
DB Damontae Kazee, Sr.
PR/KR Rashaad Penny, Jr.
PK John Baron II, So.
Second Team
TE David Wells, Jr.
OL Daniel Brunskill, Sr.
DB Malik Smith, Sr.
Honorable Mention
DL Kyle Kelley, Sr.
PR Quest Truxton, Jr.
