Nov. 29, 2004

LAS VEGAS - UNLV's conference rushing champion Dominique Dorsey and three-time selection Jamaal Brimmer were both named First Team All-Mountain West Conference as the league announced its official postseason awards Monday.

Senior tailback Dorsey leads the MWC with 1,260 yards rushing and his average of 114.5 yards per game currently ranks 15th in the nation. The Doak Walker Award Watch List member also led the league in all-purpose yards with 1,638. The first Rebel runner to be named first team all-league since Jeremi Rudolph in 2000, Dorsey's six 100-yard games led the league and gave him 11 in his career, which ranks second in school history and is even more remarkable considering he finished his career with only 14 starts. Ranking second in UNLV history with 2,833 career rushing yards, Dorsey ran for the most career yards since the school moved to Division One in 1978. Against UNLV's school-record three ranked opponents this fall, he ran for a combined 357 yards, including 121 on just 18 carries at then-No. 14 Tennessee in the season opener.

Senior strong safety Brimmer became only the second-ever Rebel selected first team all-conference three times, joining former All-American Randall Cunningham, who was named first team All-PCAA from 1982-84 (punter all three years as well as a quarterback in 1983 and `84).

Selected as a 2004 Preseason First Team All-American, Brimmer went on to rank second on UNLV with 51 solo tackles and finish seventh in the MWC with 8.2 tackles per game. His two forced fumbles moved him to second all-time at UNLV and in MWC history with nine. His 280 career tackles put him fifth all-time at UNLV and he was named MWC Defensive Player of the Week for third time in his career after posting nine tackles, one TFL, one forced fumble, one PBU and one interception that he returned for 24 yards to set up a score in a win at BYU.

The MWC awards were voted on by the eight head coaches and a panel of 16 members of the media. Mountain West Champion Utah garnered three individual honors as quarterback Alex Smith was named MWC Offensive Player of the Year, defensive back Morgan Scalley was selected MWC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Urban Meyer was chosen MWC Coach of the Year for the second straight season. San Diego State linebacker Kirk Morrison also earned Co-Defensive Player of the Year while BYU wide receiver Austin Collie was named the league's Freshman of the Year.

Overall, there were 11 repeat honorees on this year¹s All-MWC teams from a year ago, including nine first-team selections from 2003. Brimmer was one of only five three-time selections along with Morrison, BYU linebacker Brady Poppinga, New Mexico running back DonTrell Moore and BYU punter Matt Payne.

Three Rebels were named to the All-MWC Second Team: senior linebacker Ryan Claridge, who leads the league in quarterback sacks with nine, which was the most for UNLV since 1994, and tackles for loss with 15; senior linebacker Adam Seward, who won his second MWC tackling title with 121 this fall and leaves as his school's and league's all-time leader with 433; and senior offensive guard Joe Critchfield, who anchored a unit that paved the way for Dorsey's rushing title.

Earning honorable mention this year were senior wide receiver Earvin Johnson, a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist who leaves as UNLV's all-time receiving yards leader with 2,604; senior punter Gary Cook, who was one of 10 semifinalists for the coveted Ray Guy Award; junior safety Joe Miklos, who led the Rebels with four forced fumbles and two interceptions and earned the team's other MWC player-of-the-week honor in 2004; and freshman All-America candidate place-kicker Sergio Aguayo, who kicked more field goals (11-15) and extra points (27-27) than any freshman in school history.

2004 MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE AWARDSOffensive Player of the YearAlex Smith, Jr., QB, Utah
Co-Defensive Players of the YearKirk Morrison, Sr., LB, San Diego StateMorgan Scalley, Sr., DB, Utah
Freshman of the YearAustin Collie, WR, BYU
Coach of the YearUrban Meyer, Utah
2004 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE TEAMS
FIRST TEAMOFFENSEPOS PLAYER            CL    SCHOOLQB  Alex Smith#   Sr.   UtahWR  Steve Savoy   So.   UtahWR  Todd Watkins      Jr.   BYURB  Dominique Dorsey  Sr. UNLVRB  DonTrell Moore#/+ Jr.   New MexicoTE  Joel Dreessen#    Sr.   Colorado StateOL  Ryan Cook*    Jr.   New MexicoOL  Trenton Franz     Sr.   WyomingOL  Chris Kemoeatu    Sr.   UtahOL  Erik Pears*   Sr.   Colorado StateOL  Claude Terrell#*  Sr.   New MexicoPK  Deric Yaussi      Jr.   WyomingPR/KR   Hoost Marsh   Fr.   Wyoming
DEFENSEPOS PLAYER           CL SCHOOLDL  Steve Fifita     Jr.    UtahDL  Zach Morris  Sr.    WyomingDL  Marcus Parker    Jr.    New MexicoDL  Sione Pouha  Sr.    UtahLB  Kirk Morrison+   Sr.    San Diego StateLB  Brady Poppinga+  Sr.    BYULB  Nick Speegle     Sr.    New MexicoDB  Jamaal Brimmer+  Sr.    UNLVDB  Aaron Francisco* Sr.    BYUDB  Brandon Payne    Sr.    New MexicoDB  Morgan Scalley#  Sr.    UtahP   Matt Payne+  Sr.    BYU
# Unanimous Selection* Two-Time First Team Selection+ Three-Time First Team Selection
SECOND TEAMOFFENSEPOS PLAYER          CL  SCHOOLQB  John Beck   So. BYUWR  David Anderson  Jr. Colorado StateWR  Paris Warren    Sr. UtahRB  Curtis Brown    So. BYURB  Marty Johnson   Sr. UtahTE  John Wadkowski  Jr. WyomingOL  Jesse Boone Jr. UtahOL  Joe Critchfield    Sr. UNLVOL  Mike Kracalik   Sr. San Diego StateOL  Scott Young Sr. BYUOL  Jon Wilson  Jr. Air ForcePK  Matt Payne  Sr. BYUPR/KR   Jovon Bouknight Jr. Wyoming
DEFENSEPOS PLAYER                  CL  SCHOOLDL  Patrick Goodpaster  Sr. Colorado StateDL  Dusty Hoffschneider Jr. WyomingDL  Blake Lobel         Sr. San Diego StateDL  Shaun Nua           Sr. BYULB  Ryan Claridge            Sr. UNLVLB  Matt McCoy          Jr. San Diego StateLB  Adam Seward            Sr. UNLVDB  Josh Bazinet            Sr. New MexicoDB  Gabriel Fulbright   Jr. New MexicoDB  Derrick Martin          So. WyomingDB  Eric Weddle         So. UtahP   Adam Brooks         Jr. Wyoming
HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force: Ryan Carter, Sr., DL; Denny Poland, Jr., DB; John Rudzinski,Sr., LB Darnell Stephens, Sr., RB; Ross Weaver, Jr., OL.  BYU: ManaiaBrown, Jr., DL; Jon Burbidge, Sr., DB; Austin Collie, Fr., WR; Cameron Jensen, So., LB; Jake Kuresa, So., OL; Bryce Mahuika, Fr., KR; Lance Reynolds, Jr., OL.  Colorado State: Jeff Babcock, Sr., K/P; AlbertBimper, Jr., OL; Michael Brisiel, Jr., OL; Adam Lancisero, Sr., DB;
Jonathon Simon, Sr., DL.  New Mexico: Hank Baskett, Jr., WR; Fola
Fashola, Sr., LB; Robert Turner, So., OL; Wes Zunker, Sr., K.  San Diego
State: Jonathan Bailes, So., DL; Heath Farwell, Sr., LB; Marviel
Underwood, Sr., DB; Jeff Webb, Jr., WR.  UNLV: Sergio Aguyo, Fr., K;Gary Cook, Sr., P;
 Earvin Johnson, Sr., WR; Joe Miklos, Jr., DB.
Utah: Makai Aalona, Sr., OL; Quinton Ganther, Jr., RB; Tommy Hackenbruck,
Sr., LB; Matt Kovacevich, Sr., P; Spencer Toone, Jr., LB.  Wyoming: Corey
Bramlet, Jr., QB; Jovon Bouknight, Jr., WR; Chase Johnson, So., OL John
Wendling, So., DB.