Dec. 1, 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Five San Diego State football players were named to the 2009 all-Mountain West Conference team, the league announced Tuesday afternoon. Wide receivers Vincent Brown (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and DeMarco Sampson (Chula Vista, Calif.), and punter Brian Stahovich (Solana Beach, Calif.) were second-team picks, while kick returner Davion Mauldin (Compton, Calif.) and linebacker Jerry Milling (Palmdale, Calif.) earned honorable mention accolades.
A junior, Brown was one of the top receivers in the country, ranking third nationally in receiving yards per game (129.7), seventh in receptions per game (7.5) and ninth in all-purpose yards per game (173.83), before an injury sidelined him early in the Colorado State game on Oct. 24. Despite missing the final five-plus games, Brown still has a league-high five 100-yard receiving contests and is fourth in receiving yards (778) and receiving touchdowns (six).
One of just five non-seniors to be named a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, given annually to the nation's top wide receiver, Brown had a streak of five consecutive 100-yard receiving games earlier this season. The five straight 100-yard games was the second-longest streak in the history of the MWC.
Sampson joined Brown on the second team after leading the league with eight touchdowns receiving in conference games, three more than the next closest player. The senior also ranked second in league contests with 84.8 receiving yards per game and third with 5.9 receptions per game.
Sampson's breakout game came at Colorado State when he caught 15 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns in the Aztecs' come-from-behind victory. The 257 receiving yards against the Rams are the most by an MWC player this season and third-most nationally, while the 15 catches led the league and are tied for eighth nationally.
Despite playing his home games a sea level, Stahovich ranked second in the Mountain West Conference and 14th nationally with a 43.8 punting average. Just a sophomore and one of 11 underclassmen to earn a spot on the Ray Guy Award Watch List, Stahovich helped San Diego State rank 17th in the country with a 38.05 net punt average.
This season, Stahovich had 17 punts that traveled 50 or more yards, including a career-high four at Air Force (52.5 avg.) on Sept. 26. Stahovich had three 50-yard punts at Utah on Nov. 21 with a career-long 67-yarder on his first attempt of the game.
A senior, Mauldin earned all-conference accolades as a kick returner after excelling as a cornerback as well. Despite missing three games due to injury, Mauldin still led SDSU in kick returns (29), kick return yards (636) and kick return average (21.9). He had his best game against Brigham Young, returning six kickoffs for 160 yards.
Defensively, Mauldin had 23 tackles, including 17 solo stops and one for a loss, and four pass breakups. He started the final seven games for San Diego State, helping the team improve its total defensive national ranking from 113 last year to 72 in 2009.
A senior co-captain, Milling led the Aztecs in tackles (75), solo tackles (44), assisted tackles (31) and tackles for loss (9.5). The 75 stops were 17 more than anyone else on the team, while the 44 solo tackles were eight more than the next closest player.
Milling, who started all 12 contests this year, had two double-digit tackles games with 13 against 18th-ranked Brigham Young and 12 at Air Force en route to helping San Diego State improve its total defensive national ranking from 113 last season to 72 in 2009. Against UNLV last Saturday, Milling was all over the field making six tackles, including three for a loss, while recording an interception and a sack.