Complete Athlon All-Mountain West Teams
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Perhaps after 16 wins in two seasons, back-to-back bowl appearances, a share of the 2016 Mountain Division title and the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl title, The University of New Mexico Lobos are starting to get a little bit of national respect. Ten Lobos were named to the preseason All-Mountain West teams by Athlon Sports. UNM had one first team pick, two seconds, four thirds and three fourths.
San Diego State led the way with 14, followed by Wyoming and Colorado State with 12 and Boise State with 11. UNM tied with Nevada and Hawai’i. Overall UNM had one player on defense, five on offense and four on special teams.
UNM’s lone first team pick came from the defensive side of the ball in lineman Garrett Hughes. Hughes, a junior, led the team with 6.5 sacks on the season and his 7.5 TFLs tied for second on the team. Overall he registered 28 tackles and was a second team All-Mountain West pick in league selections last season.
Offensively, two running backs and three linemen earned the nod. Tyrone Owens and Richard McQuarley were listed as all-purpose backs and were second and fourth team respectively, while linemen Aaron Jenkins was named second team and Avery Jordan and Blaise Fountain were fourth team.
Owens, a junior, rushed for 1,097 yards in 2016, which was second on the team. He teamed up with Teriyon Owens to become the first tandem to hit for 1,000 yards in the same season in school history. Owens also rushed for seven touchdowns and averaged 8.0 yards per carry, second nationally. McQuarley, a senior, finished with 656 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, the second-most in school history. McQuarley also added a two-point conversion and led UNM with 110 points.
Both of those players helped UNM led the nation in rushing yards, rushing average and rushing yards per play, running behind a superb offensive line. Aaron Jenkins, a junior, has a chance to become UNM’s all-time leader in games played and games started. The guard was named to the second team. Fountain, a senior, and Jordan, also a senior, both were junior college transfers in 2016 with Fountain starting from day one and Jordan turning himself into a starter at tackle. Fountain was named to the Rimington Spring Watch List for the nation’s top center.
All four UNM special teamers were named to the third team, led by Lou Groza candidate Jason Sanders. Perhaps the most underappreciated kicker in the nation last year, Sanders was nearly perfect, going 12-13 in field goals (missing his only kick with UNM’s third string holder) and going 61-62 on extra points (the lone miss a block). Sanders set an NCAA record with an 82.4% touchback percentage, hitting 69 of his 84 kickoffs for touchbacks.
Sanders’ last two field goals in 2016 were both ridiculous in nature, banging home a 51-yard kick in sub-freezing temperatures at Colorado Springs, and then hitting a 52-yard field goal at the halftime gun against a 30+ mile per hour wind. That field goal was the deciding factor in UNM’s 23-20 Gildan New Mexico Bowl win over UTSA.
Bojorquez won the punting job out of junior college and was one of the top punters in the nation over the second half of the season. Bojorquez overall averaged 42.2 yards per kick, but over the final six regular season games, his average was 48.6 yards per kick. His 80-yard punt against Colorado State was the second-longest in school history.
Elijah Lilly, a sophomore, averaged 27.4 yards per return after returning kicks for just the final eight games of the season as he started the year slated to redshirt. Among his 19 returns was a weaving 93-yard touchdown against ULM, UNM’s ninth kickoff return for a touchdown under Bob Davie. Senior punter returner Chris Davis also earned third team honors. The sure-handed Davis averaged 6.8 yards per return on 22 attempts.
With six great home games including contests with New Mexico State, Air Force and Colorado State, fans shouldn’t miss any of the exciting action. Season ticket accounts are now on sale. Don’t miss any of the great action this season by calling 505-925-LOBO, or going to www.unmtickets.com.