Midseason Reports
Midseason
All-America Teams
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ACC
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Big East
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Big 12
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Big Ten
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C-USA
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Pac 10
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SEC
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Sun Belt
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WAC
- 2006 CFN
Midseason All-America Teams
Offensive Player of the Midseason
Rodney
Ferguson, RB New Mexico
Defensive Player of the Midseason
Beau Bell, LB UNLV
Ten best Mountain West players in the first half of the
season
1. Beau Bell, LB UNLV
2. Chase Ortiz, Sr. TCU
3. Rodney Ferguson, RB New Mexico
4. Darrell Mack, RB Utah
5. Chad Hall, WR/RB Air Force
6. Marcus Smith, WR New Mexico
7. Shaun Carney, QB Air Force
8. Max Hall, QB. BYU
9. Drew Fowler, LB Air Force
10. Louie Sakoda, P/K Utah
Biggest
Surprise
– Air Force
Head coach Troy Calhoun has tweaked things just enough to
incorporate the old school Falcon offense, while making things
work a bit crisper. Most importantly, the team got through the
brutal early part of the schedule and are still alive. While
they need BYU to lose twice, finishing second in the race
wouldn't be bad at all.
Biggest
Disappointment –
TCU
Colorado State should be here, but TCU was supposed to be a
killer in the BCS hunt. It hasn't happened. Injuries,
inconsistencies on offense, and stunning losses to Air Force and
Wyoming have made the Horned Frogs and also-ran.
The Mountain
West Champion will be ...
BYU
Sort of by default, BYU will win its second straight title
thanks to an early win over Air Force. Utah has the potential to
make some noise, and TCU should bounce back, but the Mountain
West is BYU's world and everyone else is just taking up space.
Best Game of
the First Half
Tulsa 55 ...
BYU 47, Sept. 15
In a wild shootout with the two teams
combining for 1,027 passing yards, it
was two false start penalties to ruin a
final BYU chance, and Tulsa's defense
snuffing out long drives with four
takeaways. Paul Smith threw five
touchdown passes with three to Charles
Clay, but BYU always had an answer in
the see-saw game. Max Hall threw for 547
yards and four touchdowns, and Manase
Tonga ran for two touchdowns. Tulsa's
defense got in the big play act with a
49-yard interception return for a score
from Ray Roberts, but this was all about
the haymakers. In one tremendous second
quarter sequence, Hall his Austin Collie
for a 45-yard touchdown, and Smith
answered ten second later by connecting
with Brennan Marion for a 75-yard
touchdown pass. BYU responded in four
plays with a 13-yard Dennis Pitta
scoring grab, and the scoring went on
and one, with the two teams combining
for 44 points in the quarter. In all the
two teams cranked out 1,289 yards of
total offense and 59 first downs.
Second Best Game –
Wyoming 34 ... at Ohio 33, Sept. 22
Third Best Game –
Colorado
31 ... Colorado State 28 OT, Sept. 1
Worst Game of
the First Half
New Mexico 58 ... Sacramento State 0
In a game even uglier than the final score, New Mexico held
Sacramento State to 104 yards of total offense, including 27 passing
yards, and got four rushing touchdown from Rodney Ferguson to go along
with a 24-yard Travis Brown scoring grab. John Sullivan added field
goals from 36, 30 and 37 yards. Lobo backup Bryan Clampitt came in and
completed all six of his passes for 38 yards with a touchdown pass to
Jonathan Brooks.
Coach of the Midseason
–
Troy Calhoun, Air Force
Everyone forgets that this is the United States Air Force. There
are recruiting restrictions, as former head man Fisher DeBerry
so painfully pointed out a few years ago. No one believed the
Falcons could get through the first half of the season 5-2.
Player who'll step up in the second half
–
Kevin O'Connell, QB San Diego State
More and more, the Aztec offense is relying on its senior signal
caller. He's been the main man all season long, but without
enough help from his running game, or anyone else, he's going to
run even more, and try pushing the ball deep more often to get
the offense moving.
Best performance so far -
UNLV RB Frank
Summers ran 29 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns, and caught a pass for a
29-yard score in the 27-0 win over Utah.
Top Freshman – Harvey Unga, RB BYU
Unga has had more and more of the offense heaped on his
shoulders with 21 carries or more in four straight games. A
strong receiver, along with his workhorse rushing skills, he's
quickly growing into the focal point of the attack.
Coach who needs to have a big second half –
Colorado State's Sonny Lubick
0-6. A 13-game losing streak. No run defense. Too many
turnovers. Colorado State has been close at times this year, but
losses are losses. Lubick's team desperately needs to clean up
the mess and get hot on the road, with three away games in the
next four. If the Rams don't beat UNLV, they'll likely go 0-10
before getting Georgia Southern.
Player who needs to have a big second half – BYU QB Max
Hall.
The Cougars have the Mountain West won if they just hold serve.
Hall has to limit his interceptions, and that's been a problem
with eight in a five game span, including three against UNLV. He
doesn't have to bomb away for BYU to win, but he just can't
screw up.
Best remaining conference game – Utah at BYU, Nov.
24
The Cougars might have everything wrapped up by the end of the
regular season, but they're not going to take the rivalry game
lightly. If this is half as good as last year's last second
classic BYU win, it'll be one of the must-see games of the
second half of the year.
Team Mid-Season MVPs & Predictions
Air Force – WR/RB Chad Hall
predicted wins: Wyoming, Army, at Notre Dame, San Diego
State
predicted losses: at New Mexico
predicted record: 9-3
BYU – RB Harvey Unga
predicted wins: Eastern Washington, at San Diego State,
Colorado State, TCU, Utah
predicted losses: at Wyoming
predicted record: 9-3
Colorado State – LB Jeff Horinek
predicted wins: Georgia Southern, Wyoming
predicted losses: at UNLV, Utah, at BYU, at New Mexico
predicted record: 2-10
New Mexico – RB Rodney Ferguson
predicted wins: at San Diego State, Air Force, Colorado
State, UNLV
predicted losses: at TCU, at Utah
predicted record: 8-4
San Diego State – QB Kevin O'Connell
predicted wins: None
predicted losses: New Mexico, BYU, Wyoming, at UNLV, at
Air Force, TCU
predicted record: 2-10
TCU – DE Chase Ortiz
predicted wins: Utah, New Mexico, UNLV, at San Diego
State
predicted losses: at BYU
predicted record: 8-4
UNLV – LB Beau Bell
predicted wins: Colorado State, San Diego State
predicted losses: at Wyoming, at TCU, at New Mexico
predicted record: 4-8
Utah – P/K Louie Sakoda
predicted wins: at Colorado State, Wyoming, New Mexico
predicted losses: at TCU, at BYU
predicted record: 7-5
Wyoming – RBs Devin Moore & Wynel Seldon
predicted wins: UNLV, at San Diego State, BYU
predicted losses: at Air Force, at Utah, at Colorado
State
predicted record: 7-5
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