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Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009

Dogs' Mathews an All-American

Ryan Mathews' record-setting season has landed him on a pair of All-America teams.

The Fresno State running back received second-team honors Tuesday from the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated.

Mathews, a junior, has rushed for a school single-season record 1,664 yards and leads the nation with an average of 151.3 rushing yards per game entering Saturday's New Mexico Bowl. Mathews has topped the nation in rushing yards per game for 10 straight weeks.

He is second in the country in yardage, trailing Stanford's Toby Gerhart, who has 1,736 but has played one more game.

Fresno State kicker Kevin Goessling was an honorable-mention choice by Sports Illustrated. Goessling has made 15 of 16 field goals, including a school-record 15 straight. He has been perfect on extra-point attempts.

Boise State's Kellen Moore was named to Sports Illustrated's All-America first team. The sophomore quarterback will lead the 13-0 Broncos against fellow unbeaten BCS crasher Texas Christian in the Fiesta Bowl.

This is the first time Fresno State has had a football player earn All-America honors since A.J. Jefferson was named as a specialist in 2007.

"We are very proud of Ryan and Kevin for making these prestigious All-America teams," coach Pat Hill said in a news release.

Hill has coached 17 All-America players in his 13 seasons.

Mathews was leading the nation in rushing yards before suffering a concussion against Nevada on Nov. 14. He missed the majority of two games.

Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram of Alabama and Gerhart, who was the Heisman runner-up, were the two first-team selections at running back on the AP and Sports Illustrated teams.

Mathews, a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the nation's top running back, had nine consecutive 100-yard games.

His 37 career touchdowns are a Bulldogs record.

Mathews is considering leaving school early to enter the NFL draft. He has said he would hold off on a decision until after the NFL offers evaluations that help underclassmen assess their draft stock in the offseason.

Some Fresno State players believe Mathews will forgo his senior season next year.

The All-America consideration for Goessling is a symbol of the sophomore's turnaround from early last season.

At first a struggling freshman who missed kicks in crucial situations, Goessling has developed into a steady and clutch kicker. His 35-yard field goal as time expired gave Fresno State a 30-28 win against Louisiana Tech last month.

Goessling is 32nd in the nation in scoring, averaging 8.0 points per game.

Quarterback Kellen Moore of Western Athletic Conference champion Boise State and Idaho offensive lineman Mike Iupati were named to Sports Illustrated's first team. Iupati was a first-team selection by the AP.

Non-BCS teams invade BCS bowl

For the first time in Bowl Championship Series history, two non-BCS teams have gotten into the big-time bowls. And they'll face each other, with Texas Christian (12-0) and Boise State (13-0) heading to the Fiesta.

It's a rematch of last year's Poinsettia Bowl, which TCU won 17-16.

With essentially the second pick among the five BCS bowls, the Fiesta chose TCU (the Sugar Bowl took Florida with the first pick).

After the Orange Bowl chose Iowa, the Fiesta selected Boise State -- most notably over Cincinnati, which was left to go to the Sugar.

Other BCS-bowl-eligible teams the Fiesta passed over included Virginia Tech (9-3) and Brigham Young (10-2).

Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker said factors favoring Boise State included proximity and performance. It was three seasons ago that Boise State defeated Oklahoma with a pair of memorable trick plays in one of the most thrilling bowl games ever.

All-America Team

First-Team Offense

Quarterback -- Colt McCoy, senior, 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Texas; Running backs -- Toby Gerhart, senior, 6-1, 235, Stanford; Mark Ingram, sophomore, 5-10, 212, Alabama; Tackles -- Russell Okung, senior, 6-5, 301, Oklahoma State; Trent Williams, senior, 6-5, 318, Oklahoma; Guards -- Michael Johnson, senior, 6-6, 305, Alabama; Mike Iupati, senior, 6-6, 330, Idaho; Center -- J.D. Walton, senior, 6-3, 305, Baylor; Tight end -- Aaron Hernandez, junior, 6-2, 250, Florida; Wide receivers -- Golden Tate, junior, 5-11, 195, Notre Dame; Jordan Shipley, senior, 6-0, 190, Texas; All-purpose player -- C.J. Spiller, senior, 5-11, 195, Clemson; Kicker -- Leigh Tiffin, senior, 6-2, 212, Alabama.

First-Team Defense

Defense Ends -- Jerry Hughes, senior, 6-3, 257, TCU; Derrick Morgan, junior, 6-4, 272, Georgia Tech; Tackles -- Ndamukong Suh, senior, 6-4, 300, Nebraska; Terrence Cody, senior, 6-5, 365, Alabama; Linebackers -- Rolando McClain, junior, 6-4, 258, Alabama; Greg Jones, junior, 6-1, 228, Michigan State; Eric Norwood, senior, 6-1, 252, South Carolina; Cornerbacks -- Joe Haden, junior, 5-11, 190, Florida; Javier Arenas, senior, 5-9, 198, Alabama; Safeties -- Eric Berry, junior, 5-11, 203, Tennessee; Earl Thomas, sophomore, 5-10, 197, Texas; Punter -- Drew Butler, sophomore, 6-2, 201, Georgia.