Reider: One thing I liked about the Mountain West鈥檚 yearly honors, one thing I didn鈥檛 like and how I voted
UNM鈥橲 Jaxton Eck tackles Colorado State鈥檚 Justin Marshall for a loss during a Nov. 15 game at University Stadium.
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One thing I liked about the Mountain West鈥檚 yearly honors, one thing I didn鈥檛 and how I voted:
One thing I liked: A tie for DPOY
I understand that ties are unpopular, especially with individual honors. But, man, choosing between New Mexico linebacker Jaxton Eck and San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson for Defensive Player of the Year was easily the toughest decision on my ballot.
I had a front row seat to Eck and saw just how good he was all season long, so there was always going to be more of a lean there. That his numbers (124 total tackles, the second-best mark in the league) backed up what I saw didn鈥檛 hurt, either.
Johnson was fantastic, however. He was maybe the one player who always found a way to stand out on a superb Aztec defense. The 6-foot, 185-pound senior finished the regular season with 34 total tackles, four interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and allowed only 18 receptions for 185 yards and no touchdowns 鈥� elite stuff all around.
So, yes, I understand that ties are not a fan-favorite. But both Eck and Johnson were extremely deserving, helped elevate their respective defenses and I鈥檓 not mad in the slightest that both got honored.
One thing I didn鈥檛 like: A snub for Barnes?
Well, maybe 鈥渄idn鈥檛 like鈥� is a bit strong. After all, UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea was really (really) stinking good this year. The 6-0, 205-pound Virginia transfer completed 238 of 349 passes for 3,050 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. Factor in that he played on the best offense in the league and his selection for Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year makes plenty of sense.
I wouldn鈥檛 have minded if he shared that honor, though.
If we go to the statistics, Colandrea has an edge over Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes in most categories (although not by a ton). But I don鈥檛 think anybody in the league powered an offense quite like Barnes, who completed 202 of 335 passes for 2,686 yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions.
I also liked Barnes more as a runner (733 yards, nine touchdowns) and felt he set the tone for the Aggies in a way you don鈥檛 always see. I can鈥檛 call it a true snub 鈥� again, I get why Colandrea was selected 鈥� but I loved what Barnes brought to the table, and thought he was deserving of a yearly honor.
How I voted
Offensive Player of the Year
Who I selected: QB Bryson Barnes (Utah State)
Why: In the context of where Utah State鈥檚 roster was this season, 鈥淭he Pig Farmer鈥� was remarkably productive, accounting for 3,420 yards of total offense and 27 total touchdowns. Doing that with a year-one roster and one of the worst offensive lines in the league made him the clear choice in my eyes.
Defensive Player of the Year
Who I selected: LB Jaxton Eck (New Mexico)
Why: As noted before, Eck was wildly consistent, frequently came up with big plays and was the heartbeat of a defense that came on late to rank among the league鈥檚 best. His presence as UNM鈥檚 catalyst on that side of the ball far more often than not made him my choice.
Special Teams Player of the Year
Who I selected: K Kansei Matsuzawa (Hawaii)
Why: The easiest selection on my ballot.
One of the best stories in the league this season, Matsuzawa (otherwise known as 鈥淭he Tokyo Toe鈥�) made a league best 25 of 26 field goals and 33 of 33 PATs 鈥� all after teaching himself to kick via YouTube videos.
Freshman of the Year
Who I selected: QB Micah Alejado (Hawaii)
Why: Alejado was awesome in his first full season as the Rainbow Warriors鈥� starter, completing 253 of 384 passes for 2,832 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
I don鈥檛 think there was another freshman (or, uh, redshirt freshman) that made as much of a difference as Alejado did for his team this season.
Coach of the Year
Who I selected: Jason Eck (New Mexico)
Why: This wasn鈥檛 a hard one. San Diego State鈥檚 Sean Lewis did yeoman鈥檚 work flipping the Aztecs from 3-9 to 9-3 in his second year, but Eck won the same number of games after inheriting a decimated roster. Doing it at UNM, of all places, only made him an easier choice.
