Dec. 5, 2005
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - San Diego State senior linebacker Freddy Keiaho and senior safety Marcus Demps have been selected to the 2005 Mountain West Conference football first team, the league office announced Monday. It is the first career honor for the pair, while it is the first time in the conference's seven-year history that two Aztecs have been named to the first team on the defensive side of the ball in the same season.
Keiaho (Ventura, Calif.) finished his SDSU career by leading the Mountain West in tackles with 113 (10.3/g) in his first year as a starter at middle linebacker. Keiaho tallied double-figures in tackles on six occasions in 2005, including in each of his final three outings. The senior is tied for 19th nationally in tackles per game and is tied for 18th in solo stops (6.18/g). Keiaho's top performance of 2005 came against then ninth-ranked Ohio State, when he tallied 18 tackles, including 10 solo efforts.
Demps (Palmdale, Calif.) started all 12 contests for the Aztecs at free safety, leading the team in interceptions with four and returning one for a touchdown in SDSU's victory over Wyoming. Demps tied for fourth on the squad in total tackles with a career-high 72 and added 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and four pass break-ups. He is the second member of the Aztec secondary to earn MWC first-team honors, joining his brother, Will Demps, who was a two-time selection in 2000 and 2001.
SDSU also had three players named to the second team, including wide receiver Jeff Webb (Pontiac, Mich.), defensive end Kurt Kahui (Wailuku, Hawaii) and punter Michael Hughes (Moreno Valley, Calif.), while six Aztecs picked-up honorable mention honors with four on defense and one each on offense and special teams.
Webb led the MWC and is third nationally in receptions per game (7.67), finishing with 92 catches for 1,109 yards in 2005. He is second in Aztec career history in receptions (234) and ranks fourth in receiving yards (2,890).
Kahui, meanwhile, tied for fourth on the team in tackles with 72, including five for a loss of 31 yards, and Hughes ranked second in the league and sixth nationally in punting average (44.8).
The Aztecs ended the 2005 campaign with a 5-7 overall record, including a 4-4 mark in conference play. SDSU tied for fourth place with Utah and New Mexico for its third upper-division MWC finish in the last four seasons.
2005 Mountain West All-Conference Football Awards (SDSU only)
First Team: Defense
LB - Freddy Keiaho, Senior
DB - Marcus Demps, Senior
Second Team: Offense
WR - Jeff Webb, Senior
Second Team: Defense
DL - Kurt Kahui, Senior
P - Michael Hughes, Sophomore
Honorable Mention
Antwan Applewhite, So., DE; Reggie Grigsby, Jr., S; Jasper Harvey, Sr., C; Joe Martin, Jr., LB; Terrell Maze, Jr., CB; Garrett Palmer, So., PK