Tuesday, July 22, 2014 | 10:26 a.m.
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UNLV was picked to finish fourth in its division, while three Rebels were named to the preseason All-Mountain West team, it was announced today at the league’s annual media days at the Cosmopolitan. The teams and standings are selected by members of the media.
All three Rebels selected are seniors on offense, and it's the first time UNLV has had at least three players on the preseason team since 2006. Receiver Devante Davis, who caught 14 touchdowns last season, was a second-team all-league pick in 2013. So was offensive lineman Brett Boyko, who’s joined on the team by center Robert Waterman.
Those two lead a key position group whose only departure at the top was Cameron Jefferson, who transferred to Arkansas for his final season after UNLV was initially banned from postseason play for a low APR score. The Rebels were later cleared.
Last season, the league’s first with two divisions, the Rebels finished third in the West Division. UNR was picked to finish third this year and received three first-place votes. Based on the voting point totals, UNLV was closer to fifth than third.
Boise State and Fresno State are the teams picked to win each division, while Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton and Fresno State defensive back Derron Smith took player of the year honors on offense and defense, respectively. The full teams and standings are below:
OFFENSE
QB — Chuckie Keeton, Utah State
RB — Jay Ajayi, Boise State; Donnel Pumphrey, SDSU
WR — Matt Miller, Boise State; Devante Davis, UNLV
TE — Kivon Cartwright, Colorado State
OL — Ty Sambrailor, Colorado State; Cody Wichmann, Fresno State; LaMar Bratton, New Mexico; Brett Boyko, UNLV; Robert Waterman, UNLV
Offensive Player of the Year — Keeton
DEFENSE
DL — Tyeler Davison, Fresno State; Brock Hekking, UNR; B.J. Larsen, Utah State; Eddie Yarbrough, Wyoming
LB — Ejiro Ederaine, Fresno State; Kyler Fackrell, Utah State; Zach Vigil, Utah State
DB — Derron Smith, Fresno State; Donte Deayon, Boise State; J.J. Whittaker, SDSU; Jeremy Ioane, Boise State
Will the Rebels be bowl bound again?
- Will UNLV football reach a bowl game in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history?
- Yes — 69.6%
- No — 30.4%
This poll is closed, see Full Results »
Note: This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.
K — Jared Roberts, Colorado State
P — Garrett Swanson, Fresno State
Returner — Carlos Wiggins, New Mexico
Defensive Player of the Year — Smith
Special Teams Player of the Year — Wiggins
Mountain Division
1. Boise State (20) 183 Points
2. Utah State (12) 176
3. Colorado State (1) 135
4. Wyoming 90
5. New Mexico 56
6. Air Force 53
West Division
1. Fresno State (15) 174
2. SDSU (15) 172
3. UNR (3) 130
4. UNLV 95
5. San Jose State 87
6. Hawaii 35
Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.
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