Oct. 11, 2007

LAS VEGAS - UNLV senior linebacker Beau Bell (Tustin, CA/Tustin HS) was named a midseason third team All-American by Phil Steele's on Thursday.

Bell, a leading candidate for Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors, stands seventh in the nation in solo tackles with 6.9 per game for the Rebels. He leads the league and is 25th in the nation in total tackles with 10.2 per game, is tied for sixth nationally with three forced fumbles and stands eighth in the league with three quarterback sacks.

Bell, who was the only Mountain West player included on any of the Phil Steele's four midseason All-America teams, was also named midseason first team All-MWC. He was joined on that squad by sophomore wide receiver Ryan Wolfe (Santa Clarita, CA/Hart HS), who is currently third in the MWC with 6.0 catches per game. The sophomore also leads his team in receiving yards with 448 and is third in rushing with 71 yards on just five carries.

The Rebels also placed a pair on Phil Steele's second team. Junior running back Frank "The Tank" Summers (Oakland, CA/Skyline HS/Laney College) has rushed for 100 yards or more in three straight games and has scored seven touchdowns (including two receiving) in his first six games at UNLV. His average of 86.3 yards per game ranks fourth in the MWC and 47th nationally. Junior defensive lineman Jacob Hales (Las Vegas/Las Vegas HS) was the other honoree at tackle. The run-stopper has 19 total tackles (11 solo), two sacks and one forced fumble on the year.

UNLV begins the second half of its season on Saturday when its hosts BYU beginning at 6:30 p.m.