Several members of the Utah football team were honored by the Big 12 as the league announced its yearly awards and all-conference teams on Thursday. Eight Utah …
Several members of the Utah football team were honored by the Big 12 as the league announced its yearly awards and all-conference teams on Thursday.
Eight Utah players were spread among the All-Big 12 first, second and third teams, including the conference’s offensive newcomer of the year — Devon Dampier — and standout right tackle Spencer Fano, who was tabbed as the league’s offensive lineman of the year.
Fano joined Utes left tackle Caleb Lomu on the second team after the pair of projected first round NFL draft picks helped the Utah offense pave the way to the second-most rushing yards in a single season in school history, racking up 3,237 yards on the ground while scoring 37 rushing TDs in the regular season. The Utes ranked No. 2 in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 269.8 rushing yards per game, which trailed only Navy at 298.4 per game.
In the passing game, Fano and Lomu bookended an offensive line that gave up just 11 sacks across 12 games, ranking No. 8 in the nation. According to Pro Football Focus, neither tackle gave up a sack and allowed a combined 13 pressures through their first 11 games.
On the other side of the ball, defensive end John Henry Daley earned All-Big 12 first team honors for his highly-productive redshirt sophomore campaign. Prior to going down with a season-ending injury against Kansas State on Nov. 22, Daley was was tied for the Football Bowl Subdivision lead with 17.5 tackles for loss and ranked No. 2 in the country with 11.5 sacks.
Daley’s partner in crime on the opposite end of Utah’s defensive line, Logan Fano, earned second team honors alongside defensive back Smith Snowden. Fano totaled 44 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss, and two passes broken up, while Snowden started all 12 games and led the team with nine passes defended, on top of adding 37 tackles.
Dampier, who became the first Utah quarterback to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 600 yards in a single season since Alex Smith accomplished the feat in 2004-05, joined running back Wayshawn Parker and tight end Dallen Bentley on the All-Big 12 third team. Dampier might’ve been the star of the Utes offense, but Parker and Bentley played pivotal roles as well, with Parker rattling off four straight 100-yard games to finish the season with a team-high 931 yards and 6 TDs, while Bentley hauled in the second most receptions (42), receiving yards (514) and touchdown receptions (5) on the team.
Utah’s leading pass catcher, Ryan Davis, was among the nine Utah players who were named All-Big 12 honorable mentions. The New Mexico transfer finished No. 15 in the conference with 659 receiving yards on 57 receptions, bringing in 4 TDs across 11 appearances.
Texas Tech led the Big 12 with six first team selections, including two who took home yearly awards in Jacob Rodriguez (defensive player of the year) and David Bailey (defensive newcomer of the year and defensive lineman of the year).
BYU running back LJ Martin was tabbed as the league’s offensive player of the year. Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier took home the conference’s offensive freshman of the year award, while head coach Kalani Sitake was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Utah Players Honored with Big 12 Yearly Awards, All-Conference Team
Offensive Newcomer of the Year: QB Devon Dampier
Offensive Lineman of the Year: OT Spencer Fano
All-Big 12 First Team: OL Spencer Fano, OL Caleb Lomu, DL John Henry Daley
All-Big 12 Second Team: DL Logan Fano, DB Smith Snowden
All-Big 12 Third Team: QB Devon Dampier, RB Wayshawn Parker, TE/FLEX Dallen Bentley
Honorable Mention: WR Ryan Davis, OL Jaren Kump, OL Michael Mokofisi OL Tanoa Togiai, LB, Lander Barton, LB Johnathan Hall, DB Jackson Bennee, PR Mana Carvalho, specialist Logan Castor
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Source: Utah News