Dec. 10, 2002
LAS VEGAS - For the second straight fall, UNLV football earned a major award as sophomore strong safety Jamaal Brimmer was named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of Year Tuesday after a vote of the league's eight head coaches and a conference-wide panel of media members.
Brimmer, who is a 2000 graduate of Durango High School in Las Vegas, is only the third Rebel to ever win such an honor but the second straight as All-American cornerback Kevin Thomas, now of the Buffalo Bills, won last year's defensive award.
"We are excited about Jamaal's selection," UNLV head coach John Robinson said. "He is a great attacking player and will lead a defense next season that should be fast and formidable."
Brimmer (6-1, 205) exploded on to the scene in his second season, starting every game and leading the MWC with 17 tackles for loss (for -62 yards). He finished ninth in the league with 8.3 tackles per game (100 total tackles) and led UNLV and tied for fifth in the MWC with 5.5 quarterback sacks. Brimmer also tied for second in the league with three forced fumbles and led the Rebels in pass breakups with six. He was named MWC Defensive Player of the Week on October 21 after recording eight solo tackles and forcing two fumbles in a 24-3 win at BYU, including knocking the ball loose on a QB sack and returning the fumble 27 yards for the game-icing touchdown.
Joining Brimmer on the All-MWC First Team was senior offensive lineman Tony Terrell (6-4, 310). A rare four-year starter at right guard, Terrell allowed only one quarterback sack this season as he helped the Rebels rush for 214 yards per game, which ranked 19th in the nation, and roll up a league-leading 409.5 YPG of total offense. Voted by his teammates as one of three Rebel captains this fall, Terrell finished with 45 career starts, which is second on the school's all-time list, including 40 consecutively. He is only the fifth Rebel offensive lineman to earn first-team honors but the second in three years (OT John Greer 2000). Earlier this season, Terrell was one of 11 players in Div. I-A named to the 2002 American Football Coaches Association All-Good Works Team.
The Rebels boasted three members of the All-MWC Second Team.
Another local product, sophomore linebacker Adam Seward from Bonanza High School, was the first UNLV linebacker to be named all-conference on the coaches' list since Scott Patton in 1997. Seward was the 2002 MWC tackle champion with 11.1 per games this fall and his 133 total tackles marked the third-best total in school history. He started all 12 games and hit double figures for tackles in nine of them, including the school's season-high-tying 16 at Utah.
Senior running back "Jersey" Joe Haro (5-10, 195) of Clifton, N.J., became the fourth Rebel to ever rush for 2,000 yards in a career (2,013) and his two-year total of 1,948 yards stands as the second-best in school history and UNLV's best since moving to Division I. Haro finished sixth in the league and 79th nationally in rushing with 70.1 YPG (871 yards). His 5.3 YPC average ranked highest among the league's top six runners and he posted four 100-yard games this fall all with 14 carries or less. Haro also was a second-team selection in 2001.
The final UNLV selection, Earvin Johnson (6-3, 200), emerged as the team's leading receiver as a sophomore, starting 11 games and finishing third in the MWC and 53rd in the nation with 72.1 yards per game (793 overall). He also finished fifth in the league and 57th nationally with 4.64 receptions per game (51 overall). Johnson has caught at least one pass in 19 consecutive games, including two touchdowns this fall to go with two two-point conversions. He caught eight or more passes in three games and posted three efforts with more than 120 yards, including a 12-catch day in the Rebels' upset win at CSU.
CSU quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt won MWC Offensive Player of the Year while New Mexico running back DonTrell Moore was tabbed freshman of the year. Rocky Long of the Las Vegas Bowl-bound Lobos earned coach-of-the-year honors.
Earning honorable mention from UNLV were senior safety Connie Brown, junior defensive lineman Dietrich Canterberry, junior running back Larry Croom, junior defensive end Chris Eagen, senior tight end DeJhown Mandley and senior linebacker Tyrone Tucker.
2002 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL TEAM
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEARJamaal Brimmer, DB, UNLVOFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEARBradlee Van Pelt, QB, BYUFRESHMAN OF THE YEARDonTrell Moore, RB, UNMCOACH OF THE YEARRocky Long, UNM
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Pos Player Year SchoolQB Bradlee Van Pelt JR Colorado StateWR J.R. Tolver* SR San Diego StateWR Kassim Osgood SR San Diego StateRB Cecil Sapp*# SR Colorado StateRB DonTrell Moore FR New MexicoTE Joel Dreessen SO Colorado StateOL Jordan Gross* SR UtahOL Morgan Pears SR Colorado StateOL Adam Goldberg# SR WyomingOL Dustin Rykert SR BYUOL Tony Terrell SR UNLVPK Joey Ashcroft JR Air ForcePR/KR Dexter Wynn JR Colorado State
DEFENSEDL Peter Hogan SR Colorado StateDL Jason Kaufusi# JR UtahDL Brady Poppinga SO BYUDL Garrett Smith# SR UtahLB Kirk Morrison SO San Diego StateLB Charles Moss SR New MexicoLB Anthony Schlegel SO Air ForceDB Jamaal Brimmer SO UNLVDB Wes Crawley SR Air ForceDB Brandon Ratcliff JR New MexicoDB Antwoine Sanders JR UtahP Matt Payne SO BYU
*Unanimous Selection
#Two Time First-Team Selection
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB Chance Harridge JR Air ForceWR Reno Mahe SR BYUWR Earvin Johnson SO UNLVRB Brandon Warfield SR UtahRB Joe Haro SR UNLVTE Spencer Nead SR BYUOL Johnathan Ingram SR San Diego StateOL Claude Terrell SO New MexicoOL Jason Lenzmeier JR New MexicoOL Jesse Underbakke JR Air ForceOL Mark Dreyer JR Colorado StatePK Jeff Babcock SO Colorado StatePR/KR Dwight Counter JR New Mexico
DEFENSE
DL Daniel Kegler JR New MexicoDL D.J. Renteria JR New MexicoDL Lauvale Sape SR UtahDL Amon Arnold SR San Diego StateLB Adam Seward SO UNLVLB Eric Pauly JR Colorado StateLB Sheldon Deckart SR UtahDB Dave Revill JR UtahDB Rhett Nelson SR Colorado StateDB Dexter Wynn JR Colorado StateDB Jeff Shoate JR San Diego StateP Joey Huber SR Colorado State
HONORABLE MENTION Air Force: Joel Buelow, DB; Larry Duncan, DB; Brett Huyser, OL; Blane Neufeld, OL; Leotis Palmer, RB; Adam Strecker, TE. BYU: Colby Bockwoldt, LB; Aaron Francisco, DB; Brandon Heaney, DB; Isaac Herring, OL; Scott Jackson, OL; Reno Mahe PR/KR; Ifo Pili, DL; Gabriel Reid, TE; Matt Payne PK; Mike Tanner, LB; Paul Walkenhorst, LB; Marcus Whalen, RB. Colorado State: Matt Bartz, TE; Benny Mastropaolo, DB; Chris Pittman, WR; Bryan Save, DL; Wallace Thomas, DL; David Vickers, DB; Adam Wade, LB; Drew Wood, LB. New Mexico: Hebrews Josue, DL; Nick Speegle, LB; Billy Strother, LB. San Diego State: Kyle Conerly PR/KR; Brendan Darby, OL; Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, DL; Adam Hall, QB; Jared Ritter, DL; Ricky Sharpe, DB; Brian Simnjanovski, P/PK. UNLV: Connie Brown, DB; Dietrich Canterberry, DL; Larry Croom, RB; Chris Eagen, DL; DeJhown Mandley, TE; Tyrone Tucker, LB. Utah: Brooks Bahr, LB; Paris Jackson, WR; Chris Kemoeatu, OL; Brian Lewis, P; Josh Lyman, WR; Dustin McQuivey, OL; Bo Nagahi PR/KR; Josh Savage, DL; Morgan Scalley, PR/KR. Wyoming: Jovon Bouknight, WR-PR/KR; Casey Bramlet, QB; Luke Donovan, P; Jacque Finn, DB; Trenton Franz, OL; Tyler Gottschalk, LB; Scottie Vines, WR-PR/KR; Nate Young, DB.
