Oct. 19, 2010
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State football team had 11 players named to the Phil Steele Midseason All-MWC team today. Four players, including three on the offensive side of the ball, were named to Steele's first team. The 11 selections were the third-most in the conference behind No. 4 TCU (18) and ninth-ranked Utah (17), and ahead of both Air Force (10) and BYU (8).
Freshman running back Ronnie Hillman, senior wide receivers DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown, and junior linebacker Miles Burris were all first-team selections. Junior quarterback Ryan Lindley, junior offensive lineman Tommie Draheim and junior punter Brian Stahovich all received second-team accolades, while senior center Trask Iosefa, senior defensive lineman B.J. Williams, junior defensive lineman Jerome Long and sophomore defensive back Leon McFadden were third-team choices.
Through his first six games as a collegian, Hillman has rushed for 785 yards, good for seventh most in the country and tops among all freshmen. His 10 rushing touchdowns are also the most by an Aztec running back (quarterback Kevin O'Connell rushed for 11 in 2007) since Larry Ned's 15 scores in 2001.
After being ranked in the preseason as the No. 10 and No. 62 wide receivers respectively, Brown and Sampson have formed one of the nation's most formidable pass-catching duos. Sampson currently leads the Mountain West Conference with 526 yards, while Brown's 493 yards rank him second.
Burris rounded out Steele's first-team selections. In the season's first six games, he has led the Aztecs in several defensive categories, including sacks (3), tackles for loss (6) and forced fumbles (2).
Lindley received second-team accolades after leading the conference in passing yards with 1,641 in the season's first six games. He also ranks second in touchdown passes (10) and third in pass efficiency rating (138.19). He is joined by his former high school teammate, junior offensive lineman Tommie Draheim, and junior punter Brian Stahovich, whose 46.14 punt average ranks sixth nationally.
Four more Aztecs were named to Steele's third team, including senior center Trask Iosefa. The Rimington Trophy candidate has now started a team-high 41 games on The Mesa. Williams and Long have combined for 33 tackles and two sacks as key defensive linemen in Rocky Long's 3-3-5 formation, while McFadden has registered a team-high six pass break-ups and two interceptions.
San Diego State (4-2, 1-1) continues its Mountain West Conference schedule this week when it travels to Albuquerque, N.M., for a Saturday evening game at New Mexico. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. PT and the match-up will be televised live on The Mtn.