Six MWC Freshmen Earn 2007 Sporting News All-America Status

BYU's Unga and Utah's Kruger lead Conference contingent with second team honors

Dec. 7, 2007

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -

Six Mountain West Conference student-athletes are among the freshmen who have been honored by The Sporting News as 2007 All-Americans.

BYU running back Harvey Unga, who was named to the second team, is the first freshman at BYU and the third in Conference history to rush over 1,000 yards. Entering the Las Vegas Bowl, the MWC Freshman of the Year is six yards shy of breaking the league's Freshman rushing record of 1,216 yards, which is currently held by Air Force's Keith Boyea (2001).

Utah defensive end Paul Kruger also earned Sporting News second team honors. His 53 total tackles are the most by an MWC freshman defensive lineman. Kruger has 6.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, an interception, five pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble heading into the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.

Unga and Kruger are joined on the list by four MWC student-athletes who garnered honorable mention. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton and nose tackle Kelly Griffin each earned recognition, as did UNLV quarterback Travis Dixon and New Mexico cornerback Jerome Jenkins.

2007 SPORTING NEWS FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS
* denotes redshirt

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE
WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech*
WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri*
TE Rob Gronkowski, Arizona
L (G) Anthony Davis, Rutgers
L (T) Ryan Miller, Colorado
L (T) Anthony Castonzo, Boston College
L (T) Lee Ziemba, Auburn
L (T) Trinton Sturdivant, Georgia
QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma*
RB LeSean McCoy, Pitt
RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia*

DEFENSE
E Everson Griffen, USC
T Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
T Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma*
E Kirk DeCremer, Wisconsin*
LB Greg Jones, Michigan State
LB Scott Lutrus, Connecticut*
LB Rolando McClain, Alabama
CB Eric Berry, Tennessee
CB Donovan Warren, Michigan
S Chad Jones, LSU
S Alex Kube, Northern Illinois*

SPECIALISTS
K Thomas Weber, Arizona State*
P Ryan Shoemaker, Auburn*
KR David Gilreath, Wisconsin

SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE
WR Antonio Brown, Central Michigan
WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois
TE James Casey, Rice
L (G) Maurkice Pouncey, Florida;
L (C) Ryan McMahon, Florida State
L (T) Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin*
L (T) Stephen Schilling, Michigan*
L (T) Butch Lewis, USC*
QB Jake Locker, Washington*
RB Josh Adams, Wake Forest*
RB Harvey Unga, BYU*

DEFENSE
L (T) Scooter Berry, West Virginia*;
L (T) Ladi Ajiboye, South Carolina
L (E) Paul Kruger, Utah*
L (E) Greg Romeus, Pitt*
LB Brian Duncan, Texas Tech*
LB Obi Ezeh, Michigan*;
LB Lawrence Wilson, UConn*
DB (SS) Zac Etheridge, Auburn*;
DB (S) Deunta Williams, North Carolina*; DB (FS) Davonte Shannon, Buffalo DB (CB) Kareem Jackson, Alabama

SPECIALISTS
K Kai Forbath, UCLA*
P Keenyn Crier, Arizona*
KR David Gilreath, Wisconsin

HONORABLE MENTION
QB: Pat Bostick, Pitt; Andy Dalton, TCU*; Dwight Dasher, Middle Tennessee; Travis Dixon, UNLV*; Cody Hawkins, Colorado*; Colin Kaepernick, Nevada*; Case Keenum, Houston*; Trevor Vittatoe, UTEP*; Giovanni Vizza, North Texas; Adam Weber, Minnesota*; T.J. Yates, North Carolina*

RB: Graig Cooper, Miami (Fla.); Noel Devine, West Virginia; Terry Grant, Alabama*; Nic Grigsby, Arizona; Mike Ford, South Florida; Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State; Deonte Jackson, Idaho*; Ryan Mathews, Fresno State; DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma*

TE: Drake Dunsmore, Northwestern; Weslye Saunders, South Carolina

WR: Marcus Barnett, Cincinnati*; Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas; Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State; Darrell Catchings, Oregon State; Trae Johnson, Tulsa; Duval Kamara, Notre Dame; Scotty McKnight, Colorado*; Carlton Mitchell, South Florida*; Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech*; Terrance Toliver, LSU

OL: (G) Colin Baxter, Arizona*; (G) Clint Boling, Georgia; (T) Micah Hannam, Washington State*; (G) Zach Hermann, South Florida*; (G) Rodney Hudson, Florida State; (C) Colin Miller, Central Michigan*; (G) Andrew Nierman, Tulane; (C) Kristofer O¹Dowd, USC; (G) Dominik Riley, Memphis*; (T) Jake Vermiglio, N.C. State

DL: (T) Marvin Austin, North Carolina; (NT) Kelly Griffin, TCU; (T) Markus Kuhn, N.C. State; (E) Aaron Maybin, Penn State*; (E) Bruce Miller, UCF*; (E) Cheta Ozougwu, Rice; (T) Brian Price, UCLA; (E) Almondo Sewell, Akron; (NT) Colby Whitlock, Texas Tech; (NT) Ian Williams, Notre Dame; (E) Ryan Winterswyk, Boise State*

LB: Freddy Burton, Arkansas; Rennie Curran, Georgia; Ben Jacobs, Fresno State*; Cliff Matthews, South Carolina; Adrian Moten, Maryland*; Brian Smith, Notre Dame; Craig Stevens, Auburn*; Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina

DB: (CB) Omar Bolden, Arizona State; (S) Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech; (CB) Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio State*; (CB) Chris Conte, Cal; (CB) Joe Haden, Florida; (CB) Chris Harris, Kansas; (CB) Aaron Henry, Wisconsin*; (CB) Jerome Jenkins, New Mexico*; Joe Lefeged, Rutgers; (CB) Chima Nwachukwu, Washington State; (CB) Tavious Polo, Florida Atlantic*; (S) Major Wright, Florida

K: Kyle Brotzman, Boise State*; Wes Byrum, Auburn; Pete Caldwell, Utah State; Justin Estes, Southern Miss; Igor Iveljic, Akron*; Daniel Lincoln, Tennessee*; Thomas Moreland, North Texas; A.J. Principe, Buffalo; Jake Rogers, Cincinnati*; Alex Tejada, Arkansas

P: Travis Baltz, Maryland; Aaron Bates, Michigan State; Blake Clingan, UCF; Stefan Demos, Northwestern*; Ryan Donahue, Iowa*; Derek Epperson, Baylor; Reid Forrest, Washington State*; Kevin Jones, Duke*; Rob Long, Syracuse; Kyle Petersen, UTEP*