Daily Herald | Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 11:00 pm
Five members of the BYU football team were named to the 2008 All-Mountain West Conference First Team on Wednesday while four others earned All-MWC second-team honors. Two Cougars received honorable mention.
Junior wide receiver Austin Collie, junior tight end Dennis Pitta and senior offensive linemen Ray Feinga and Dallas Reynolds were named to the first-team offense, while junior defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen was named to the first-team defense. Pitta and TCU defensive lineman Jerry Hughes were the only unanimous selections on this year's teams. With Pitta's selection, BYU has claimed first-team tight end honors the past four seasons with Pitta earning back-to-back recognition after Jonny Harline accomplished the feat in 2005 and 2006.
Fellow Cougars Feinga, Reynolds and Jorgensen joined Pitta and Utah's Louie Sakoda as the only MWC student-athletes to repeat as first-team members in 2008. Collie, a second-team selection last season, earned his place on the first team this year after leading the nation in receiving yards with a BYU single-season record 1,419 receiving yards. The Cougars placed a league-high four players on the first-team offense along with Utah.
BYU junior quarterback Max Hall, junior running back Harvey Unga, senior offensive lineman Travis Bright and senior linebacker David Nixon earned second-team recognition while senior defensive back David Tafuna and senior punter CJ Santiago received honorable mention.
Hughes was named the MWC Defensive Player of the Year while Sakoda, Utah quarterback Brian Johnson and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham garnered the individual awards for special teams, offense and coaching. Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson was named the MWC Freshman of the Year.
Of the 50 players named to the first and second teams, 26 were seniors, 21 were juniors and three were sophomores. The first team included 16 seniors, seven juniors and two sophomores with BYU claiming three of the seven juniors on the first team.
The All-MWC teams and individual award winners were selected by a vote of the league's head coaches and media panel. Included below is more information about the BYU players honored and a complete list of all MWC players earning recognition in 2008.