LAS VEGAS – Four San Diego State football players were named to the 2019 Mountain West Preseason All-Conference Team, the league announced Tuesday at the Mountain West Football Media Summit in Las Vegas. The four preseason selections - offensive lineman Keith Ismael, linebacker Kyahva Tezino, Warrior (safety) Tariq Thompson and running back Juwan Washington - are the third most in the league.
The all-conference team and preseason poll are voted on by media representatives who cover the conference.
Ismael, who last week landed on the Rimington Trophy Watch List as the nation's outstanding center, is a two-time all-Mountain West selection, including a first-team pick last year as a sophomore and a second-team selection in 2017 as a freshman. Last season, Ismael started all 12 games he appeared in, including six games at center, five at right guard and once at left guard. He was also named the team's offensive lineman of the year and was on the Pro Football Focus Mountain West Offensive Team of the Year.
Tezino, who has been named to the Bednarik Award Watch List (college defensive player of the year) and Butkus Award Watch List (nation's top linebacker), 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.
Thompson, a member of the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List for the top defensive back, recorded 60 tackles (38 solo) a year ago, including five tackles for loss, two interceptions for 41 yards, eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Thompson, who has started all 26 games since arriving to campus as a true freshman in 2017 at one of the Warrior positions (safety) in Rocky Long's 3-3-5 defense, was a second-team all-MW pick for a second straight year in 2018 and also a member of the Pro Football Focus Mountain West Defensive Team of the Year for the second consecutive season.
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. Washington made the Maxwell Award Watch List for the college player of the year.
Additionally, San Diego State was picked to finish second in the West Division with 106 points and seven first-place votes, just 16 points behind defending champion Fresno State's 122 (and 17 first-place votes). The Aztecs have been picked to either finish first or second in the West Division all seven years of division play.
SDSU, which averaged a predicted finish of 6.5 from 2005-12, has ended up at or better than its predicted finish in eight of the last 10 seasons and 11 times over the past 14 years. San Diego State has won two of the last four Mountain West titles (2015 and 2016) and three of the past seven (also 2012).
Following Fresno State (122) and San Diego State (106) in the West Division was Nevada (74), Hawai'i (67 and the other first-place vote), UNLV (51) and San José State (21).
Boise State has been picked to win the Mountain Division for the seventh consecutive season after making the MW championship game last year for just the second time since 2014. The Broncos lost to Fresno State, 19-16, in the 2018 MW Championship game at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. BS picked up 15 first-place votes in the Mountain Division and 120 total, followed by Utah State (108 and six first-place votes), Air Force (73), Wyoming (66), Colorado State (52) and New Mexico (22).
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.
Notes: SDSU has 66 of the 100 first-place votes in the West Division (66.0 pct.) over the last four seasons (since 2016) and 93 of the 130 votes (71.5 pct.) over the last five seasons (since 2015) … In the last six seasons (since 2014), SDSU has 108 first-place votes after picking up just seven first-place votes combined over the first 15 years in the league … San Diego State placed multiple players on both the preseason offensive and defensive teams for the first time since 2016 (the Aztecs won the league that season) and for just the second time over the last 15 seasons … SDSU placed multiple players on the offensive all-conference team for a fifth consecutive season … San Diego State has a defensive player on the preseason all-MW team for the eighth time in the last nine seasons … WAR Tariq Thompson and OL Keith Ismael are the first Aztec juniors to be selected on the all-conference team since PK John Baron II (2017), and the first offensive or defensive junior since Damontae Kazee and Donnel Pumphrey in 2015 … Thompson (two-time second-team all-MW pick) and Ismael are each on the preseason all-MW team for a second straight season.
2019 Mountain West Preseason Poll
West Division
1. Fresno State (17 first-place votes) - 122
2. San Diego State (3) - 106
3. Nevada - 74
4. Hawai'i (1) - 67
5. UNLV - 51
6. San José State - 21
Mountain Division
1. Boise State (15) - 120
2. Utah State (6) - 108
3. Air Force - 73
4. Wyoming - 66
5. Colorado State - 52
6. New Mexico - 22
2019 Mountain West Football Preseason All-Conference Team
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Jordan Love, Jr., QB, Utah State
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Curtis Weaver, Jr., DL, Boise State
Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year: Cooper Rothe, Sr., PK, Wyoming
Offense
QB Jordan Love, Jr., Utah State
WR John Hightower, Sr., Boise State
WR Cedric Byrd II, Sr., Hawai'i
RB Juwan Washington, Sr., San Diego State
RB Toa Taua, So., Nevada
OL Ezra Cleveland, Jr., Boise State
OL John Molchon, Sr.,Boise State
OL Jake Nelson, Sr., Nevada
OL Keith Ismael, Jr., San Diego State
OL Justin Polu, Sr., UNLV
TE Jared Rice, Sr., Fresno State
Defense
DL Jordan Jackson, Jr., Air Force
DL David Moa, Sr., Boise State
DL Curtis Weaver, Jr., Boise State
DL Tipa Galeai, Sr., Utah State
LB Mykal Walker, Sr., Fresno State
LB Kyahva Tezino, Sr., San Diego State
LB David Woodward, Jr., Utah State
DB Jeremy Fejedelem, Sr., Air Force
DB Juju Hughes, Sr., Fresno State
DB Tariq Thompson, Jr.,San Diego State
DB DJ Williams, So., Utah State
Specialists
P Ryan Stonehouse, Jr., Colorado State
PK Cooper Rothe, Sr., Wyoming
KR/PR Savon Scarver, Jr., Utah State
SDSU Lands Four Players on 2019 MW Preseason Team
