PHILADELPHIA -- San Diego State linebacker Kyahva Tezino and running back Juwan Washington each were named to preseason watch lists recognized by the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) on Monday. Tezino is on the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which goes out to the college defensive player of the year, while Washington is on the Maxwell Award Watch List for a second straight season, which honors America's college player of the year.
The Aztecs are one of 43 schools with at least one player on both the Bednarik and Maxwell watch lists and one of seven Group of 5 programs with a player on both lists. SDSU, Stanford and USC are the only schools from the state of California with a player on both lists and San Diego State is one of three from the Mountain West (also Nevada and Utah State) with a player on each watch list.
Tezino is coming off a fantastic junior season in 2018 when he had 127 tackles (70 solo), including 14.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hurries, en route to earning first-team all-Mountain West honors. Tezino, who won the John Simcox Memorial Trophy Most Valuable Player, the Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy Defensive Player of the Year and the Dr. R. Hardy/C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy Captain Award at the team's postseason banquet, had 24 more tackles than No. 2 on the team and a remarkable 67 more than No. 3. His 127 tackles were the third most by an Aztec junior in program history and the eighth most in SDSU single-season history.
Tezino led the Mountain West and ranked 29th in FBS play in solo tackles per game, and was third in the league (35th in FBS) in sacks per game (0.65) and fourth (26th in FBS) in tackles per game (9.77). Tezino, who was the only San Diego State player to play every snap last season, put together two different three-game streaks with at least 10 tackles a year ago.
Tezino is the fourth Aztec to make the Bednarik Watch List under head coach Rocky Long, joining Jake Fely in 2013, and Damontae Kazee and Calvin Munson in 2016. Kirk Morrison (2004) is the only other SDSU player to make the preseason Bednarik Watch List.
The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Chuck Bednarik, former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame's Class of '69 and the NFL Hall of Fame's Class of '67.
Washington, meanwhile, rushed 199 times for 999 yards (5.0 avg.) with 10 touchdowns last year, despite missing 4 ½ games with an injury. An honorable mention MW selection in 2018, Washington ranked second in the MW and 13th in FBS in rushing yards per game (111.0, min. 190 att.), second (30th in FBS) in rush avg. (5.0, min. 190 att.), tied for fourth (T-57th in FBS) in rushing touchdowns (10), fifth (64th in FBS) in rushing yards (999) and eighth in total touchdowns (10). According to Pro Football Focus, Washington ranked 33rd in FBS (No. 4 in MW) with 41 forced missed tackles and 34th (No. 2 in MW) in 15-yard runs (15), despite the missed games.
Last year Washington joined Marshall Faulk (1992) and Rashaad Penny (2017) as the only San Diego State players to start a season with two straight 150-yard rushing games. Washington enters his final campaign ranked eighth all-time at SDSU in kick return yards (1,017), ninth in rushing touchdowns (23) and overall touchdowns (27), tied for 10th in kick returns (43), 13th in rushing yards (2,199) and 15th in all-purpose yards (3,400).
The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell, has been given to America's College Player of the Year since 1937. Maxwell's contributions to the game of football were extensive, including time as a player, a sportswriter and an official.
Semifinalists for the Bednarik and Maxwell Awards will be announced Oct. 29, while the three finalists for each award will be unveiled Nov. 25. The winners of the 2019 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 12. The formal presentations of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 13, 2020.
The Aztecs finished 2018 with a 7-6 record, including wins over No. 23/25 Arizona State and rv/No. 24 Boise State. SDSU is one of 14 teams to make a bowl game in nine consecutive seasons. San Diego State returns its leading passer (Ryan Agnew), rusher (Washington) and tackler (Tezino) from a year ago.
SDSU's Mountain West home schedule features the two teams that finished atop the West Division standings last year (Fresno State and Nevada), and two cross-division opponents with the best league record (Utah State) and the third-best mark on the Mountain Division (Wyoming). Overall, San Diego State's four Mountain West home games come against teams that went a combined 23-9 in league competition, while its four conference road contests are against teams that went 10-22 in league play.
The Aztecs kick off their 2019 season at home on Saturday, Aug. 31 against Weber State at 6 p.m. PT, followed by the KGB SkyShow.
For more ticket information, visit GoAztecs.com, call (619) 283-7378 or visit SDCCU Stadium's Window E between 9 a.m. PT and 5 p.m. PT.
Football’s Tezino and Washington on Watch Lists
