Jan. 26, 2012

• Mountain West Football Press Release - Final Edition

MOUNTAIN WEST IN THE POSTSEASON
For the fifth consecutive year, the Mountain West sent five teams into postseason bowl games. The Mountain West has earned 51 bowl bids since 1999 and holds a 31-20 all-time record in those contests, including a 12-3 mark against BCS automatic-qualifying conferences since 2004. The MW finished with a 2-3 (.400) mark in postseason play in 2011, marking the first time since 2005 the league did not post a winning bowl record.

Boise State (12-1), TCU (11-2), Wyoming (8-5), San Diego State (8-5) and Air Force (7-6) each reached bowl eligibility, marking the seventh year in a row, and eighth overall, the MW has boasted five bowl-eligible teams.

Over the past eight seasons, the MW owns the best win percentage in bowl games among the 11 FBS conferences with a 24-12 mark (.667). The SEC is second with a 42-22 (.656) record, followed by the Big East at 24-16 (.600) and the Big 12 at 34-28 (.548).

TCU CLINCHES THIRD STRAIGHT MW CROWN
TCU captured the 2011 Mountain West title with a perfect 7-0 mark in league play. The Horned Frogs are the first team in league history to capture three straight MW titles. TCU has won four overall MW crowns since joining the league in 2005. This is the eighth straight season, and ninth overall, that the MW champion has gone undefeated in Conference play.

BOISE STATE AND TCU FINISH SEASON IN TOP-25 POLLS
For the fourth consecutive year, the Mountain West placed multiple football teams in the final top-25 national polls. Boise State (12-1, 6-1) finished its inaugural MW campaign ranked sixth in the USA Today/Coaches' poll and eighth in the Associated Press poll. MW champion TCU (11-2, 7-0) joined the Broncos in the final rankings with a No. 13 ranking from the Coaches' voters and a No. 14 ranking from the AP panel.

A LOOK INSIDE THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Mountain West is one of eight conferences with multiple teams ranked in the final national polls of the 2011 season:

The Mountain West is one of four leagues (Big 12, Big Ten, SEC) to place at least one team in the top-10 of the final college football polls in each of the last four seasons, and one of three leagues (Big 12, SEC) with at least one team included in the top-6 of the final rankings from 2008 to 2011.

The MW joins the Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC with multiple teams ranked in the top-15 of this season's final Coaches' and AP polls. Boise State and TCU are two of just four FBS teams (Alabama, Oregon) to finish in the top-15 of both the Coaches' and AP polls over the last four seasons.

Boise State finished with a top-10 ranking in both the USA Today/Coaches' and AP polls for the third consecutive season and fourth time in six years. BSU is the only team in the country to finish in the top-10 of the Coaches' and AP rankings in each of the last three seasons. The Broncos have been ranked in the top-10 of the Associated Press poll for 46 consecutive weeks, dating back to Sept. 13, 2009, for the nation's longest streak. Boise State owns the nation's second-longest streak of 61 consecutive weeks ranked in the top-25 of both the Coaches' and AP polls, trailing Alabama by three weeks:

TCU wrapped up 2011 with a top-25 ranking in the polls for the fourth straight year and eighth time in the last 11 seasons. The Horned Frogs have placed in the top-10 in three of the last four years and four of the past seven.

BOISE STATE AND TCU IN BCS STANDINGS
The final 2011 BCS Standings featured two Mountain West teams. For the third straight week, Boise State remained at No. 7, while TCU held on to the No. 18 spot. This is the fourth consecutive year that the MW has had at least two teams in the final BCS Standings. The Mountain West is one of five FBS conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC) to have multiple teams ranked in the final BCS standings each of the last four years (2008-11).

A LOOK INSIDE THE FINAL BCS STANDINGS
The Broncos are ranked higher than automatic-qualifiers Wisconsin (Big Ten) and Virginia Tech (ACC) in the final BCS standings of the 2011 season. Both Boise State and TCU are ranked higher than Big East champion West Virginia.

The Mountain West is one of six conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) with at least two teams (Boise State and TCU) ranked in the top-20 of the final BCS Standings.

A Mountain West team has been ranked in the BCS top-10 for 31 straight weeks, dating back to Oct. 26, 2008, when TCU was the league's highest-ranked team at No. 14. The MW is one of only three conferences (Big 12, SEC) with at least one team ranked in the top-10 of the BCS Standings for at least 28 consecutive weeks.

47 OR MORE WINS SINCE 2008
Boise State (50-3) and TCU (47-5) are two of three teams (Alabama 48-6) to achieve 47 or more wins since the beginning of the 2008 season. The Mountain West is the only conference to have two teams with 47-plus wins during that span.

TWO-LOSS TEAMS
Only 17 Football Bowl Subdivision teams completed the 2011 season with two or fewer losses:

SEC: 4 (Alabama 12-1, Arkansas 11-2, LSU 13-1, South Carolina 11-2)
Pac-12: 3 (Oregon 12-2, Stanford 11-2, USC 10-2)
Mountain West: 2 (Boise State 12-1, TCU 11-2)
Conference USA: 2 (Houston 13-1, Southern Mississippi 12-2)
Big 12: 1 (Oklahoma State 12-1)
Big Ten: 1 (Michigan 11-2)

Of this list, only Boise State and TCU have had two or fewer losses in each of the previous four seasons (including 2011). The Broncos posted identical 12-1 marks in 2008 and 2010, and went undefeated (14-0) in 2009. The Horned Frogs finished the 2008 campaign with an 11-2 record before going 12-1 in 2009 and 13-0 in 2010.

BSU has secured at least 11 wins in eight of the last 10 seasons, while TCU has won at least 11 games in seven of the last nine years.

LEADERS OF THE PACK
The Mountain West is the only league in the nation with multiple teams that have won eight or more games and have participated in the postseason for at least seven consecutive seasons. Boise State and TCU are two of the six teams that comprise the list:

Mountain West: Boise State, TCU
ACC: Virginia Tech
Big 12: Oklahoma
Big East: West Virginia
SEC: LSU

BOISE STATE'S KELLEN MOORE IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN
Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore finished his career as the all-time winningest quarterback in FBS history, surpassing Texas' Colt McCoy. Moore tallied a 50-3 career record under center for the Broncos, a win percentage of .943, while McCoy went 45-8 for the Longhorns for a .849 clip from 2006 to 2009.

TIM JEFFERSON WRAPS UP CAREER WITH ACADEMY WIN RECORD
Air Force senior Tim Jefferson concluded his career with a school-record 28 career wins under center for the Falcons. Jefferson finished his career ranked third on the Mountain West's list of all-time winningest quarterbacks, and is joined in the top-five by San Diego State's Ryan Lindley.

BSU'S MOORE, AFA'S JEFFERSON RANK AMONG NCAA TOP-SIX ACTIVE WINNINGEST QBS
Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore went 50-3 (.943) as the Broncos' four-year starting signal-caller to lead all active FBS quarterbacks in wins and win percentage. Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson tied for sixth nationally among active QBs with 28 career wins as the Falcons' starter. Below is a list of the top-six winningest active quarterbacks in the FBS.

TCU'S EVANS KICKS WAY INTO MW RECORD BOOK
TCU's Ross Evans accounted for seven points (four PATs, one FG) vs. Louisiana Tech in the Poinsettia Bowl, giving him 407 for his career to extend his Mountain West all-time scoring record. The previous mark of 356 was set by New Mexico running back DonTrell Moore from 2002 to 2005. Evans' 407 career points extends the Horned Frog scoring record as well, which was previously set by LaDainian Tomlinson from 1997-2000 (324). Evans also extended his MW career records for most kicking points (407) and PATs made (239).

Evans finished his career ranked second on the MW's list for career made field goals with 56. Utah's Louie Sakoda (2005-08) holds the MW record with 57 made field goals.

BSU'S MOORE THROWS HIMSELF INTO NCAA ANNALS
Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore finished his career ranked fifth on the NCAA's all-time passing list with 14,667 career passing yards. He is just the eighth player in NCAA history to pass for more than 13,000 yards during his career and the sixth to pass for over 14,000 yards.

Moore is the first player in NCAA history to have four seasons with 3,000 total offensive yards and 3,000 passing yards. The senior amassed 3,800 yards through the air this season to become only the second quarterback in FBS history to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark in each of his four years of play (Hawai'i's Timmy Chang, 2000, 2002-04). Moore is one of 11 quarterbacks in MW history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season. Moore also gained 3,734 yards of total offense in 2011, joining Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour (2006-09) as the only QBs to gain 3,000 yards of total offense in four seasons.

In his only season in the Mountain West, Moore established a new league single-season record with 43 passing touchdowns. BYU's Max Hall set the previous mark (35) in 2008. Moore also recorded 142 career passing TDs, which ranks second all-time in NCAA history behind Houston's Case Keenum, who had an NCAA-record 155 from 2007-2011.

Below is a breakdown of the NCAA's top-five active leaders for career passing TDs:

MOUNTAIN WEST BOASTS FOUR 1,000-YARD RUSHERS
For the fifth time in Mountain West history, at least four players eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for a season, led by San Diego State's Ronnie Hillman, who set a MW single-season record with 1,711 rushing yards. Hillman is joined by Air Force's Asher Clark (1,110), Boise State's Doug Martin (1,299) and Colorado State's Chris Nwoke (1,130) to comprise the MW's 1,000-yard rushers in 2011. The Mountain West had a league-record five 1,000-yard rushers in 2001, and four in each of the 2005, 2007 and 2008 seasons.

Clark and Hillman are two of six players in MW history to reach 1,000-yards rushing in consecutive seasons. Clark is only the third Falcon ever to register two 1,000-yard rushing campaigns and just the second to do it in back-to-back seasons, joining Beau Morgan who accomplished the feat in 1995 and 1996. Hillman's 1,711 yards set a new MW sophomore rushing record, breaking the previous mark of 1,450, held by New Mexico's DonTrell Moore in 2003. Hillman set the MW freshman record with 1,532 yards in 2010. Nwoke became the first Ram to surpass the 1,000-yard mark since Gartrell Johnson racked up 1,476 yards in 2008. Martin registered his second straight 1,000-yard rushing campaign after gaining 1,260 yards rushing in 2010.

FALCON OFFENSE MAKES HISTORY
Air Force set MW single-game records for total yards (792) and rushing yards (595) in its 63-24 win over Tennessee State on Sept. 24. The 792 total yards and the 595 rushing yards both rank as the second-most in the FBS this season. AFA also broke the school record of 700 total yards, set vs. UTEP in 1994.

The Falcons finished the 2011 campaign with 4,092 rushing yards, surpassing their previous MW record of 4,001 yards in 2002. Air Force also had a league-record 43 rushing touchdowns this year. The previous high of 41 was set in 2001 by BYU and was matched by Air Force (2002, 2010) and TCU (2010).

3,000 YARDS PASSING/1,000 YARDS RUSHING
Boise State senior QB Kellen Moore and senior RB Doug Martin join San Diego State senior QB Ryan Lindley and sophomore RB Ronnie Hillman as the 10th and 11th MW tandems, respectively, to combine for 3,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards in a single season in league history. Moore threw for 3,800 yards, while Martin gained 1,299 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Lindley amassed 3,153 yards through the air and Hillman rushed for 1,711 yards in 2011. This marks the third season in MW history (2005, 2007) in which the Mountain West had two pair of 3,000-yard passers/1,000-yard rushers. Below is a look at the teammates who have reached the 3,000 passing/1,000 rushing yards single-season milestone over the 13-year history of the Mountain West:

SDSU'S PARKER PICKING OFF PASSES
San Diego State's Larry Parker led the league and tied for third nationally with seven interceptions this season. His seven picks tie the Mountain West single-season interception record, which is also shared by Air Force's Anthony Wright (2009), Utah's Eric Weddle (2006) and UNLV's Kevin Thomas (2001). Parker's seven interceptions are the most by an Aztec since Tom Deckert had eight and Galen Pavelko had seven in 1969. He is also the first SDSU player to record an interception in four straight games (Sept. 17 vs. Washington State, Sept. 24 at Michigan, Oct. 8 vs. TCU, Oct. 13 at Air Force) since Vonnie Holmes picked off one in four consecutive contests to open the 2004 campaign.

CSU'S NWOKE RECORDS TWO 200-YARD RUSHING EFFORTS IN 2011
Colorado State's Chris Nwoke rushed for a career-high 269 yards and two touchdowns against Air Force on Nov. 26. The 269 rushing yards were the fourth-most in a single game in the FBS this season and set an MW record for most rushing yards by a sophomore. It was also the most in a Conference game and ranked fourth in MW history overall. The previous record for most rushing yards in a Conference game was held by Air Force's Chad Hall, who had 256 against the Rams on Oct. 13, 2007. The previous sophomore single-game record of 242 rushing yards was originally set by New Mexico's DonTrell Moore vs. CSU on Nov. 7, 2003.

Nwoke recorded the top two single-game rushing performances in the Mountain West this season (269 vs. Air Force, 232 vs. San Diego State). He is one of six players in the FBS to have at least two 200-yard rushing games in 2011, and one of five MW players ever to record at least two 200-yard rushing performances in a single season.

Nwoke became the first player in Colorado State history with multiple 200-yard rushing efforts in the same season. He is one of four Rams (Kevin McDougal, 1997 and 1999; Lawrence McCutcheon, 1969-70; Steve Bartalo, 1983 and 1985) to record multiple 200-yard rushing games in a career.

WYOMING'S SMITH HAS NOTABLE FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN
Wyoming's Brett Smith became the first freshman quarterback in Mountain West history to top 3,000 yards of total offense with 3,232 in 2011. He shattered the previous MW freshman total offensive yardage record of 2,691 yards, set by TCU's Andy Dalton in 2007. Smith is also the fifth freshman quarterback in MW history to pass for 2,000 yards, ranking third with 2,622. Colorado State's Pete Thomas set the MW freshman passing record with 2,662 yards in 2010, followed by San Diego State's Ryan Lindley with 2,653 yards in 2008. Below is a look at the league's all-time top-five freshmen performances in total offense and passing yardage:

SDSU'S HILLMAN A RUSHING MACHINE
San Diego State RB Ronnie Hillman topped the Mountain West's single-season rushing charts with 1,711 yards in 2011. Colorado State's Cecil Sapp held the previous record with 1,601 rushing yards in 2002. Hillman, who set the freshman rushing record with 1,532 yards in 2010, also set the sophomore single-season mark, surpassing New Mexico's DonTrell Moore (1,450 yards in 2003).

Hillman eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in just seven outings, tying as the second-fewest games to 1,000 in school history and trailing only Marshall Faulk, who did it in six outings in 1992. Hillman is the first Aztec to record back-to-back seasons with 1,000 yards rushing since Marshall Faulk in 1992-93, and is only the third Aztec with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his career, joining Faulk (1991-92-93) and Paul Hewitt (1987-88).

Hillman is one of six players in MW history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, and only the third to do so in his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Below is a look at the league's consecutive 1,000-yard rushers:

Hillman had nine 100-yard rushing performances this season, equaling the league's single-season record alongside BYU's Luke Staley (2001), Colorado State's Cecil Sapp (2002) and New Mexico's DonTrell Moore (2003). The sophomore RB has 15 100-yard rushing efforts in 26 career games, which ties for third on the league's all-time list. The MW record of 26 career 100-yard rushing games is held by New Mexico's DonTrell Moore (2002-05).

SDSU'S LINDLEY BECOMES MW'S ALL-TIME LEADER IN CAREER PASSING YARDS
San Diego State senior QB Ryan Lindley concluded his career with a MW-record 12,690 career passing yards. The previous record of 11,365 career passing yards was held by BYU's Max Hall (2007-09). Lindley also has 12,415 yards total offense in his career to surpass TCU's Andy Dalton (11,925) for the highest career total in MW history.

Lindley is the first quarterback in MW history with over 12,000 career yards in both total offense and passing. He is also one of four active quarterbacks in the FBS to reach the 12,000-yard mark for both passing and total offensive yardage, joining Boise State's Kellen Moore, Houston's Case Keenum and Oklahoma's Landry Jones.

Lindley collected 3,153 yards through the air this season, becoming just the third quarterback in Mountain West history to throw for 3,000 yards in three straight seasons. He also owns the league's record for career total offensive plays (1,822), pass attempts (1,732) and pass completions (961), while ranking second in passing touchdowns (90). Hall set the record with 94 passing TDs from 2007-09.

MW FINISHES 2011 WITH RECORD NUMBER OF KICK RETURN TDS
Boise State's Doug Martin opened the 2011 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas with a 100-yard kickoff return, bringing the league total to nine kick return TDs this year, which triples the MW's previous season high of three kick returns, accomplished in each of the previous three seasons. Martin's 100-yarder was the longest by a player in the Mountain West in 2011 and established a league record for the longest kickoff return by a senior.

TCU led the league with three kick return touchdowns to break the Mountain West single-season record. The Frogs previously set the MW benchmark with two kick return TDs in 2005. San Diego State and UNLV also returned two kickoffs for scores this season.

TCU joins Arizona State and New Mexico State for the most kickoffs returned for touchdowns in the FBS in 2011. The Horned Frogs, Aztecs and Rebels are three of 16 squads to record multiple kick return TDs this year, making the Mountain West one of three leagues (Big 12, SEC) to have three teams in that category.

TCU become the first MW team ever to record a kick return TD in two straight games (Sept. 17 vs. ULM and Sept. 24 vs. Portland State). Below is a look at this year's MW kick return TDs:

NCAA ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS IN TOTAL TACKLES
With 454 total tackles, New Mexico's Carmen Messina is the second player in Mountain West history to reach the 400-tackle milestone, surpassing UNLV's Adam Seward (433; 2001-04) for the league's all-time mark in career tackles. Messina finished the year ranked third nationally among active career FBS leaders, behind Boston College's Luke Kuechly (532) and Houston's Marcus McGraw (510). Wyoming's Gabe Knapton was 10th on that same list with 368 career tackles.

Below is a breakdown of the NCAA's top-10 active leaders in career total tackles: