LOGAN, Utah – Utah State football had eight players garner all-Mountain West honors, including three second-team selections, as the league office announced its postseason football awards Tuesday. In all, USU had four offensive, and four defensive players recognized.
Utah State had three players named to the Mountain West second team in senior running back Rahsul Faison, senior wide receiver Jalen Royals and senior defensive end Cian Slone. And four more Aggies were named honorable mention all-MW in graduate quarterback Spencer Petras, senior safety Jordan Vincent, redshirt junior cornerback DJ Graham II, junior defensive tackle Gabriel Iniguez Jr., and sophomore offensive lineman Teague Andersen.
Royals is receiving Mountain West honors for the second time as he was a first team selection a year ago.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, while UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard was named the Defensive Player of the Year. UNLV returner Ricky White III was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Year and UNLV placekicker Caden Chittenden was named Freshman of the Year. Boise State’s Spencer Danielson was named the MW Coach of the Year.
Faison, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back from Pottstown, Pennsylvania (Salisbury (CT) HS/Snow College) started 10 of the 12 games he played in this year and finished the season leading the team in every rushing category as he gained 1,109 yards on 198 attempts (5.6 ypc) and eight touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 99 yards (4.5 ypr) and posted a team-best 1,208 all-purpose yards.
Faison is the 16th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards and is now one of 20 1,000-yard rushers in school history. His 1,109 yards this season are the 17th-most in school history.
Faison carried the ball 316 times for 1,845 yards (5.84 yards per carry) during his two-year Utah State career and ranks 14th all-time in school history in rushing yards. Overall, Faison is the 34th running back in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a career.
On the season, Faison is fourth in the MW and 27th in the nation in rushing (92.4 ypg), fourth in the MW and 50th in the nation in all-purpose yards (100.7 ypg), seventh in the MW and 46th in the nation in rushing yards per carry (5.60), and eighth in the MW and 73rd in the nation in rushing touchdowns with eight (0.67 pg). He also had five 100-yard rushing games, which is tied for the third-most in the MW.
Royals, a 6-0, 205-pound wide receiver from Powder Springs, Georgia (Hillgrove HS/Georgia Military College) started the first seven games of the season, before missing the final five due to injury. He caught 55 passes for 834 yards and six touchdowns on the year and had four 100-yard receiving games, which is tied for the second-most in the MW.
In the last four games he played in prior to his injury, Royals had 40 receptions for 666 yards (166.5 ypg) and five touchdowns. He had a career-high 11 receptions for 188 yards and one touchdown against New Mexico (10/19), 10 receptions for 155 yards and one touchdown against UNLV (10/11), nine receptions for a career-high 211 yards and two touchdowns at No. 21 Boise State (10/5), and 10 receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown at Temple (9/21).
For his career, Royals caught 126 passes for 1,914 yards and 21 touchdowns and ranks tied for third all-time in school history in touchdown catches, 12th all-time in receiving yards, 16th all-time in receptions, and tied for fifth all-time in 100-yard receiving games with eight. He is the 23rd player in school history to post 100 career receptions, the 40th to have 1,000 career receiving yards and the fifth to have 20 career touchdown receptions.
Slone, a 6-4, 235-pound defensive end from Rocklin, California (Rocklin HS/American River College) played in all 12 games this year, including starting each of the final eight. He finished the year with 49 tackles, which was the most on the team by a defensive lineman. He also led the team with 7.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, and five quarterback hurries. Overall, he posted at least four tackles in each of his final eight games and had 45 tackles (5.6 pg), 6.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss as a starter.
On the season, Slone is fourth in the MW and 29th in the nation with his 7.5 sacks (0.63 pg).
Petras, a 6-5, 230-pound quarterback from San Rafael, California (Marin Catholic HS/Iowa) started nine games this season and led the team in every passing category as he was 214-of-327 (.654) for 2,315 yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He set career-highs this year in completions, attempts, passing yards and passing touchdowns. He also had one 400-yard passing game, one of three in the MW this season, and three 300-yard passing games, which tied for the second-most in the MW.
On the season, Petras ranked first in the MW and 13th in the nation in completions (23.78 pg), first in the MW and 20th in the nation in passing (257.2 ypg), second in the MW and 32nd in the nation in total offense (261.1 ypg), third in the MW and 31st in the nation in completion percentage (.653), fourth in the MW and 50th in the nation in passing touchdowns with 17 (1.89 pg), fifth in the MW and 66th in the nation in passing efficiency (135.3), sixth in the MW and 52nd in the nation in points responsible for (12.2 ppg), eighth in the MW and 83rd in the nation in yards per pass attempt (7.08), and ninth in the MW and 99th in the nation in yards per completion (10.82).
Vincent, a 5-10, 190-pound safety from Chicago, Illinois (Stevenson HS/New Mexico State) led the team with 117 tackles and four interceptions this season, to go along with two pass breakups and 0.5 tackles for loss as he started all 12 games.
Vincent posted nine double-digit tackle games this season, which leads the MW and is tied for the third-most in the nation. Overall, he is first in the MW and 15th in the nation in tackles (9.8 pg), and fourth in the MW and 15th in the nation with his four interceptions (0.33 pg).
Vincent was also named the MW Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 18, following his performance against Hawai’i as he had a career-high two interceptions to go along with five tackles.
Graham, a 6-0, 200-pound cornerback from Fort Worth, Texas (Keller Central HS/Oklahoma) started nine of the 12 games he played this season and finished the year with 42 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, to go along with two interceptions, two pass breakups and a team-best three forced fumbles. Overall, he had at least three tackles in eight games this year.
On the season, Graham is third in the MW and 21st in the nation in forced fumbles with three (0.25 pg).
Iniguez, a 6-1, 280-pound defensive tackle from Pittsburg, California (Pittsburg HS/New Mexico State) started all 12 games and finished the year with 29 tackles, which were the most on the team by an interior defensive lineman. He also had 0.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss, to go along with two quarterback hurries, and posted at least three tackles in six games on the year.
Andersen, a 6-5, 305-pound offensive lineman from Lehi, Utah (Lehi HS) started all 11 games he played in at right tackle and finished the season with 787 snaps. He graded out at 89 percent in MW play and did not allow a sack during conference games. Andersen finished the season with 43 knockdowns and had at least four knockdowns in seven games this year.
