MWC announces 2009 Football All-Conference teams, honors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Mountain West announced its 2009 All-Conference football teams and individual award winners Tuesday as selected by the nine head coaches and select media panel. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton was chosen as the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, while TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes was named MWC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. TCU kick returner Jeremy Kerley earned the MWC Special Teams Player of the Year award, while Wyoming quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels was honored as the MWC Freshman of the Year. Gary Patterson of TCU was selected as the MWC Coach of the Year.

**OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR**
**ANDY DALTON, JUNIOR, QB, TCU**
	- Dalton is TCU's first MWC Offensive Player of the Year. He is also the first Horned Frog to earn conference offensive player of the year honors since running back LaDainian Tomlinson won it in both 1999 and 2000. - Is the eighth quarterback since the inception of the league to be named MWC Offensive Player of the Year. - Ranks second in the MWC and sixth nationally in pass efficiency (159.6). - Ranks third in the MWC and 28th in the FBS in passing yards per game (207.0). Also ranks second in the league and 30th nationally in total offense with an average of 250.5 yards per game. - Ranks 12th in the MWC and leads all quarterbacks with 43.5 rushing yards per game (522 total rushing yards). - Has thrown for a career-high 2,484 yards this season with 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions. - Named the MWC Offensive Player of the Week three times in 2009 (Sept. 28, Nov. 9 and Nov. 30).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JERRY HUGHES, SENIOR, DE, TCU
	- Hughes is the third player in league history to win back-to-back MWC Defensive Player of the Year honors (Kirk Morrison, LB, San Diego State - 2003-04; Eric Weddle, DB, Utah - 2005-06). Has recorded a career-high 54 tackles (30 solo) in 2009. Leads the MWC and ranks eighth nationally with 11.5 sacks. Ranks third in the MWC and tied for 28th nationally with 15.0 tackles for loss. Named MWC Defensive Player of the Week once in 2009 (Sept. 14). Anchors a TCU defense that is ranked second in the nation in total defense (233.2 yards per game), No. 3 in rush defense (80.5 yards per game) and No. 6 in scoring defense (12.4 points per game). One of four finalists for the Rotary Lombardi Award, one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, one of four finalists for the Lott Trophy and one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. One of 15 finalists, and one of just three defensive players, for the 2009 Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year award.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JEREMY KERLEY, JUNIOR, KR, TCU
	- Kerley is the first TCU player to win MWC Special Teams Player of the Year honors since the inception of the award in 2006. He is also the first non-kicker since 2006 to capture the accolade. The last Horned Frog to earn special teams player of the year recognition was kicker Nick Browne in 2003. Leads the MWC and ranks 12th nationally with a punt return average of 14.3. Has 487 total yards on 34 punt returns and two touchdowns. The two punt returns for touchdowns came on a 69-yard return against Colorado State and a 71-yard return against SMU. Leads the MWC and ranks 20th nationally with a kick return average of 26.9.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
AUSTYN CARTA-SAMUELS, FRESHMAN, QB, WYOMING
	- Carta-Samuels is the second Wyoming player to earn conference freshman of the year accolades in school history (OL Steve Scrifes won the award in 1993). Ranks seventh in the MWC in pass efficiency (114.0). Ranks seventh in the MWC for both total offense (170.6) and passing yards per game (146.0). Has completed 59 percent off his passes (174-of-295) for 1,752 yards with seven touchdowns this season. Has rushed for 295 yards on 123 carries. Selected as the MWC Offensive Player of the Week three times this season (Sept. 28, Oct. 5 and Nov. 16). Guided Wyoming to four fourth-quarter come-from-behind wins this season. Since becoming the starter, he has led Wyoming to a 5-4 record in his nine starts.
COACH OF THE YEAR
GARY PATTERSON, TCU
	- Patterson has been selected as conference coach of the year for the third time in his career after leading TCU to a 12-0 regular season record and a perfect 8-0 mark in MWC play. Patterson was also named MWC Coach of Year in 2005 and earned Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2002. Led TCU to its second outright Mountain West Conference championship. The Horned Frogs' first MWC title came in their inaugural season in the MWC in 2005. Has led TCU to a No. 4 BCS ranking, marking the highest BCS standing by an institution from a non-automatic qualifying conference. Led TCU to its first undefeated regular season since the 1938 national championship team. It is also the first time the Horned Frogs have been 12-0 in school history and marks the first 12-win campaign since the 1935 national championship team finished the year 12-1. Patterson is one of three finalists for the George Munger Award, presented by the Maxwell Football Club to the nation's top coach.
NOTABLES
- Six student-athletes were repeat first-team all-Conference selections from 2008, including TCU return specialist Jeremy Kerley and defensive end Jerry Hughes, BYU tight end Dennis Pitta and defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen, Utah offensive tackle Zane Beadles and UNLV wide receiver Ryan Wolfe. UNLV senior WR Ryan Wolfe, BYU senior TE Dennis Pitta and BYU senior DL Jan Jorgensen are first-team honorees for the third time in their respective careers. Wolfe was selected as a first-team wide receiver in 2006 and 2008, and was an honorable mention pick in 2007. Pitta was honored as a first-team tight end in 2007 and 2008. Jorgensen was a first-team selection as a defensive lineman in 2007 and 2008. Wolfe, Pitta and Jorgensen are three of six players in league history to earn first-team honors three times during their respective careers. BYU senior TE Dennis Pitta and TCU senior defensive end Jerry Hughes are unanimous first-team selections for the second consecutive year. Hughes is the first defensive player in MWC history to receive unanimous first-team honors in two straight years, while Pitta is the second offensive player to receive unanimous first-team honors in back-to-back years (New Mexico's DonTrell Moore was a unanimous first-team selection from 2003-05). Junior Harvey Unga (RB-BYU), senior Erik Cook (OL-New Mexico), senior Marshall Newhouse (OL-TCU), senior Rafael Priest (DB-TCU), senior Koa Misi (DL-Utah), senior Stevenson Sylvester (LB, Utah) and senior John Fletcher (DL-Wyoming) are all first-team selections in 2009 after being second-team honorees in 2008. BYU is the first to claim both the first- and second-team tight end positions in the same year. Senior Dennis Pitta is a first-team honoree this season, while senior Andrew George captured second-team honors. TCU has claimed a first-team kick returner honoree in each of its five years as a member of the MWC (Jeremy Kerley - 2008-09, Brian Bonner-2006-07, Cory Rodgers-2005). Of the 50 first and second-team selections, 24 were seniors, 16 juniors and 10 sophomores. The first team had 16 seniors, six juniors and three sophomores. The 22 juniors on both teams eclipse the previous high of 21 in 2008. BYU has claimed the first-team tight end position for five consecutive years (Dennis Pitta-2007-09, Jonny Harline-2005-06). Adam Miller is the first New Mexico punter to receive first- or second-team honors in MWC history. Eddie Wide is the second Utah running back selected to the first team in MWC history (Mike Anderson-1999). Utah has had a first-team defensive lineman honoree for nine consecutive years (Koa Misi in 2009) and 10 out of 11 years. BYU's Matt Reynolds is the second sophomore to earn first-team offensive lineman accolades (Ryan Cook, New Mexico-2003). TCU's Ross Evans is the first sophomore to receive first-team placekicker honors. TCU's nine first-team selections matches the league-high nine first-team honorees Colorado State had in 2000.

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