June 2, 2009
CLEVELAND - Thirteen San Diego State football players were named to Phil Steele's 2009 Preseason All-Mountain West Conference team on Tuesday. Ryan Lindley, Roberto Wallace, Matthew Kawulok, BJ Williams and Luke Laolagi earned second-team recognition, while Atiyyah Henderson, DeMarco Sampson, Ikaika Aken-Moleta, Jonathan Soto and Brian Stahovich were third-team honorees. Nick Stanford, Aaron Moore and Lane Yoshida were all honorable mention picks.
Lindley, a sophomore quarterback, turned in one of the most impressive freshman campaigns in the nation as he finished second in the Mountain West Conference in passing average per game (241.2 yards) and was third in total offense (2,591). The Alpine, Calif., native set an Aztec freshman record for pass completions in a single-outing (35), which is also good enough for a tie for third in the SDSU single-game record book. Lindley passed for 2,653 yards, converting on 242-of-427 (56.7 percent) attempts in his freshman season.
A senior wide receiver, Wallace played in 11 of 12 games, starting nine times. The Oceanside, Calif., product was third on the team in receiving yards with 405 and recorded his first career touchdown against Cal Poly.
Kawulok has been a part of the Aztec tight end rotation each of the past two seasons, playing in 30 career contests. The junior from Boulder, Colo., logged career-highs in 2008 with 27 catches for 231 yards. Kawulok also played on special teams, recording tackles at TCU and UNM and recovered his first fumble against Idaho.
A junior defensive lineman from Aurora, Colo., Williams was the Aztecs' starter at defensive end for the second year in a row, posting a team-best 10.5 tackles for loss, which ranked him eighth in the Mountain West Conference. He ended up fifth on the team in tackles overall with a career-high 74 and also recovered a pair of fumbles. Williams had 10 stops against TCU and a career-high 11 vs. BYU, including four for a loss of 10 yards. An MWC honorable mention pick, Williams also earned Steele's second-team all-conference honors at the conclusion of the 2008 season.
Laolagi, a senior linebacker from Reseda, Calif., was a preseason second-team pick before the 2008 season. The Van Nuys, Calif., product is SDSU's top returning tackler with 99 stops, including four for a loss, in 2008. He forced three fumbles a year ago and has 203 career tackles. He earned MWC co-defensive player of the week honors after his 12-stop performance in the win vs. UNLV. He also had his first career interception, a forced fumble and a PBU against the Rebels. Laolagi finished the campaign ranked ninth in the MWC in tackles per outing (8.2) and fourth in fumbles forced (3).
A senior running back from Rockledge, Fla., Henderson was the starter at tailback in eight of his 11 games. He led the team in rushing with 490 on 120 attempts and four scores. Henderson also had the second-most catches on the squad with 36 for 228 yards.
Sampson, a senior from Chula Vista, Calif., saw his first action since 2005 after missing the last two seasons with an injury to play in 11 contests. He caught 17 passes for 171 yards and scored his first touchdown since '05 in the season-finale against UNLV. Sampson also returned punts and kickoffs last year.
Aken-Moleta, a three-year team member from Kapolei, Hawaii, earned a starting spot on the offensive line as a junior. He made his first starts at right guard in the team's 12 outings in 2008.
A three-year letterwinner from West Covina, Calif., Soto has been a two-year starter on the defensive line. He played both tackle and end in 2008, logging 57 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks.
Stahovich was the Aztec's starting punter in all 12 contests his first year at SDSU. The Solana Beach, Calif., product averaged 39.5 yards a punt with a long of 65. Stahovich had eight kicks of more than 50 yards and dropped 14 inside the 20-yard line.
Sandford, a senior defensive back from Orange, Calif., saw action in nine games, starting the final seven at safety. He recorded 44 tackles and has two career double-figure tackle games. He missed the final three games of the season due to injury.
A senior defensive back from Tampa, Fla., Moore earned his second-consecutive preseason award as he was named to the same honorable mention squad before the 2008 season. He played in all 12 outings last season, starting on 10 occasions. Moore had 48 total stops and recorded an interception against San Jose State that he returned for a score.
Yoshida, a senior kicker, earned the starting place-kicker spot in his first season with SDSU. The Pinole, Calif., native played in all 12 contests and also handled the kick-off duties. Yoshida went 8-for-12 in field goals and 27-for-29 in extra-point attempts. He converted his career-long 49-yard field goal against BYU.
San Diego State will kick off the 2009 season on Sept. 5 against UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.