Oct. 27, 2009

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Six Mountain West Conference football student-athletes have been named Midseason All-Americans by CollegeFootballNews.com. BYU tight end Dennis Pitta is a first-team selection on offense, while TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes and punt returner Jeremy Kerley are first-team honorees on defense. Receiving third-team accolades are Colorado State offensive lineman Cole Pemberton, San Diego State wide receiver Vincent Brown and Wyoming linebacker Brian Hendricks.

Pitta, a senior, has 38 catches this season and currently leads all tight ends nationally with 533 receiving yards. The Moorpark, Calif., native is on the midseason watch list for the 2009 Mackey Award.

Hughes, a senior, has 10.5 tackles for loss among 35 total stops this season, topping the MWC and ranking fourth nationally with nine sacks. In addition to being on several watch lists, the Sugar Land, Texas, product is a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, a semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award, and a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy.

Kerley, a Hutto, Texas, native, leads the MWC and ranks eighth nationally with a 16.2 punt return average (325 yards total). The junior also has two punt returns for touchdown this season.

Pemberton, a senior hailing from Highlands Ranch, Colo., is a three-year starter for the Rams and anchors one of the most experienced offensive lines in the nation.

Brown, a senior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., leads the league and ranks sixth nationally in receiving yards per game (111.14). The 2009 Biletnikoff Award semifinalist also tops the MWC in total receiving yards (778) and receiving touchdowns (six) in 2009.

Hendricks, a sophomore, ranks second in the league and third nationally with an average of 11.57 tackles per game in 2009. The Burlington, Colo., native has registered four games with double-figure tackles in 2009, including a league single-game high of 23 stops against Air Force on Oct. 17.