June 17, 2014
SAN DIEGO - Six San Diego State football players were tabbed preseason all-Mountain West by Athlon Sports on Tuesday, led by senior defensive back J.J. Whittaker (Oceanside, Calif.) and sophomore running back Donnel Pumphrey (Las Vegas, Nev.) who were first-team selections.
In addition, senior offensive lineman Terry Poole (Seaside, Calif.), senior linebacker Jake Fely (Oceanside, Calif.) and senior defensive lineman Sam Meredith (La Mesa, Calif.) each earned second-team honors, while senior wide receiver Ezell Ruffin (Long Beach, Calif.) was named to the third team.
Whittaker, a 2013 all-MW honorable mention, had team-highs with 11 passes broken up and three interceptions a season ago, including one for a touchdown. He also recorded 32 total tackles and two tackles for loss.
Ruffin, also a 2013 all-MW honorable mention, led the Aztecs in receptions (68), receiving yards (1,136) and yards per catch (16.7), while recording three touchdown receptions last season. The Long Beach, Calif., native had four 100-yard receiving games on the year, including three-straight from Oct. 10 to Nov. 2.
Pumphrey rushed for 752 yards with eight touchdowns, averaging 6.0 yards per carry last season as a freshman. He also recorded 22 receptions for 234 yards and two scores. Pumphrey rushed for a career-high 167 yards in a victory over New Mexico State, and became the first Aztec freshman to rush for over 100 yards in three-straight games since Marshall Faulk in 1991.
Poole was a 2013 all-MW honorable mention, starting 12 games at tackle in his first season on The Mesa. Fely was limited to four starts due to injury last year and finished with 20 total tackles, one sack, one pass broken up and 1.5 tackles for loss. But as a sophomore in 2012, Fely was second on the squad with 90 total tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss, along with a team-high seven sacks en route to being an all-MW second-team selection.
Meredith played in eight games in 2013, recording 16 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two fumble recoveries and one blocked kick. However, he recorded 36 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery as an all-MW honorable mention in 2012.
San Diego State begins its 2014 campaign on Saturday, Aug. 30, when it welcomes Northern Arizona to Qualcomm Stadium. Season tickets are now available to the general public for as low as $66 per seat.
There will be an internet only pre-sale for View Level tickets for KGB listeners, Aztec season-ticket holders and Aztec Nation subscribers that will begin Friday, June 20 at 9 a.m. PT.
The general public on-sale for all individual home games will be July 21 at 9 a.m. and available on GoAztecs.com (fees apply), by phone (619) 283-7378 (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., fees apply) or in person at Qualcomm Stadium-Window E (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.).
The Aztecs are coming off an 8-5 season in 2013, including a 6-2 mark in MW play, which concluded with a victory over Buffalo, 49-24, in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. In the process, SDSU became one of only 29 teams in the nation, and one of just five non-BCS schools, to play in a bowl game in four-consecutive years.