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Knudson: The Knudson Awards

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
December 8, 2011
 
‘Tis the season for postseason honors… the statuettes are in the mail (not really).
 
Second-Best Player of the Year:
 
Hope that your favorite NFL team ends up drafting San Diego State’s Ronnie Hillman. He could be the second coming of Marshall Faulk.
 
Program of the Year:
 
More than just a great single season coaching job, Dave Christensen has already built a program that has “sustainability” at Wyoming. Beating both San Diego State and Air Force on the road this season made them the league’s third best team and a group that’s a legitimate threat to win the Conference title in the very near future.
 
The Rick Perry “It’s on the Tip of My Tongue…” Award:
 
Quick, how many Wyoming fans can instantly remember the name of last season’s starting quarterback? Hint below.
 
Newbie of the Year:
 
Wyoming’s Brett Smith made Cowboy fans quickly forget about Austyn, Austyn, Carta, Carta, uhm, Carta, wait, it’s on the tip of my tongue.
 
Missed Opportunity of the Year:
 
Brady Hoke’s recruits had a golden chance to upset Hoke’s new team and get a tiny bit of revenge. Alas, it was Michigan 28, San Diego State 7. And Kyle Turley fumed.
 
Statement Game of the Year:
 
Air Force was the fashionable pick to pull an upset and sneak into the top two of the league this season. TCU was going to be down a bit and they had to come to the Academy the second week of the season off of a loss to Baylor in the opener. It was to all set up nicely for the Falcons, right?
 
Not quite. Gary Patterson wasn’t about to give up his ownership of Air Force. Frogs ground down the Falcons 35-19 on their way to winning another Conference title.
 
The “Take That, Schedule Makers” Award:
 
The TCU vs. Boise State game was originally schedule for Fort Worth. Then, for very legitimate reasons as it turned out, it was changed to the blue turf in Boise. Conspiracy theorists out there  (you know who you are) cried foul. No matter. The Frogs went to Boise and ended the Broncos’ 35-game home winning streak, 36-35.
 
Whacky Stat of the Year:
 
Navy ran 105 offensive plays in an overtime loss to Air Force. 105.  In one game.
 
Best Game Day:
 
Neighboring states Nebraska and Wyoming hadn’t played since 1994 when they met in Laramie in late September. It was a bowl game atmosphere and one that the other teams in the Conference should try to replicate. “What a great day for football in this part of the country,” said Wyoming AD Tom Burman.
 
Best Player the Nation Never Heard About:
 
Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson just got better and better during his AFA career. He ends up being one of the best Falcon’s signal callers ever. Now that the Denver Broncos have gone to an option offense, Jefferson would be a great fit - after his military service is completed, of course - to be Tim Tebow’s backup.  
 
Head Scratcher of the Year:
 
Colorado State 35, Utah State 34 in overtime. How do you explain a team almost beating defending national champion Auburn two weeks earlier and then getting upset by a CSU team that would not win another game all season? Honorable Mention: San Jose State over Colorado State the following week. A homecoming loss to San Jose the week after that great win? Really?
 
The Jekyll and Hyde Award:
 
The painfully young UNLV Rebels, fresh off getting waxed by Wisconsin and Washington State to open the season, stunned Hawaii 40-20 and then went out and lost the next week to FCS foe Southern Utah 41-16. Go figure.
 
Fashion Statement Award:
 
Taking a cue from nearby Oregon, Boise State rolled out all sorts of uniform combinations this season. They were not allowed to wear all blue at home on the blue turf, so they featured gray and blue, all orange, blue and white, and a couple different helmets. Then there was all white on the road. Seemed like a different combo every week and they had the team to pull it off. You can’t go 6-6 while rocking a different uni for every game.
 
Add this question: Why is it that Colorado State is allowed to wear all green uniforms at home on the green turf? Just asking.
 
Does Anyone Want This Job? Award:
 
Both Boise State and San Diego State were undone at critical moments by faulty placekicking. Meanwhile, TCU senior Ross Evans was 13-for-16 on field goals and Air Force junior Parker Herrington was 15-for-18. The rest of the kickers in the Conference combined to go a less-than-stellar 34-for-62. Ugh.
 
The Why Would Anyone Want This Job? Award:
 
Do interim head coaching jobs come any tougher than New Mexico in 2011? Luke Fickell at Ohio State had nothing on George Barlow. Taking over for fired Mike Locksley in mid-season, Barlow held the Lobos’ program together under the worst of circumstances.
 
To the credit of the Lobos and their coaching staff, they didn’t just mail it in. They upset UNLV on November 12 to avoid the winless season, and between Locksley’s good recruiting and Barlow holding things together, new coach Bob Davie isn’t coming into that bad of a situation.
 
Best Mtn.tv Prognosticator Award:
 
Yes, it was a very good year in the pick ‘em department. We ended up going 53-15 after another 4-0 week. Point spreads? We don’t do no stinking point spreads.
 
We were right on three of the five MW bowl destinations, too. With TCU going to San Diego instead of Shreveport - a nice trade off, if you can pull it off and not sure why the Independence Bowl would release San Diego State and send them to New Orleans - but hey, why complain? Good match-ups for the MW. Could be another stellar bowl games performance.
See all of Mark Knudson's blog entries HERE.