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LOGAN, Utah - Three Utah State football players earned postseason recognition by the Western Athletic Conference as linebacker Paul Igboeli was named the league's Freshman of the Year and offensive lineman Malik Cin and defensive lineman Ben Calderwood were both named second team all-conference.
Igboeli (pronounced Ig-bo-lee) was second on the team with 69 tackles. That figure led all WAC freshmen while also ranking 15th among all WAC players. After seeing limited playing time in the four non-conference games (he had four tackles total), the Grand Prairie, Texas product, averaged 8.1 tackles in eight league games.
"Paul did not see much playing time at the beginning of the season and then saw the majority of his time in the WAC," said USU head coach Brent Guy. It is a great honor for him and shows the young talent we have on the team.
He started all eight conference games and recorded double-digit tackle totals in three of the last five games, including 17 at Louisiana Tech, 10 at Boise State and 10 against New Mexico State.
Igboeli also registered three sacks on the season, including two where he forced fumbles that were returned for touchdowns by the Aggies.
"Paul was the type of guy in high school that made a lot of big plays," Guy said. "What surprised me was the number of big plays he made this season stepping up to the college level. He had two sacks where he had the awareness to knock the ball loose and it resulted in touchdowns for us.
"He was real consistent in running to the football and making tackles," Guy added. "Then when he causes fumbles that turn into touchdowns, that is pretty special for a freshman to do those types of things.
Cin (pronounced Muh-leek Gin) has proven to be one of the Aggies' most versatile and best linemen during his career. After missing the first three games due to an Achilles tendon injury, Cin started the final nine games of the season.
The senior from Weisbaden, Germany, started eight games at right tackle and one at right guard, while also playing some at center this past season. At the end of the year, his teammates voted him a permanent season captain.
"I am real happy that Malik could get an honor because I am so proud of how hard he fought to come back from his injuries," Guy said. "It takes a year to recover from an Achilles tendon injury and he made it back in nine months and was a huge contributor to our team."
Calderwood, a sophomore defensive end from Sky View High School in Smithfield, Utah, started seven games before suffering a hand injury and missing two games. He returned from the injury to play the final two games of the year.
Despite missing two games, he led the USU defensive line in tackles with 44. He was second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss as well as second in sacks with two.
His best tackle game was a nine-stop effort against Fresno State. After that game, Calderwood was named WAC defensive player of the week.
"Calderwood has a bright future in college football," Guy said. "He played an outstanding game against Fresno State and earned WAC Player of the Week honors. We have him for two more years and he will get better and better each week."
Igboeli became the first Aggie to receive an individual conference honor, such as player of the year or freshman of the year, since Tony D'Amato was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year in 1998.
