Nov. 21, 2000
LOGAN, Utah - Seven Utah State football players were named to the first-team all-Big West Conference team that was selected by the league coaches and released on Tuesday.
Among the Aggies on the list were linebacker Brent Passey, a three-time selection and defensive end Nate Putnam, the lone freshman in the league to be tabbed first-team. Other USU selections included wide receiver Aaron Jones, running back Emmett White and tackle Jeff Long on the offensive side, while Putnam and Passey were joined by linebackers Jesse Busta and Blake Eagal defensively
Heading into the season, Utah State's linebacker corpe was considered to be the strength of the team and that proved evident with three Aggies from that position earning first team honors.
Passey, a senior from Mesa, Ariz., earned all-league honors three times in his career. For the second straight season he led the team in tackles as he had 119 this year. His 368 career tackles rank third on the USU career list.
Eagal, a senior from Stockton, Calif. was a second-team choice in 1999 and a first-team pick this year. He finished the year with 105 tackles and his 313 career tackles were ninth on the USU career list.
Despite starting just four games, Busta, a sophomore from La Crescenta, Calif., was second on the team with 110 tackles.
Putnam, a true freshman from Brigham City, started the final eight games of the year and finished with 59 tackles. That total was sixth on the team and tops among defensive linemen.
Jones, a senior from Casa Grande, Ariz., led the Big West in receiving and had 63 catches for 1,159 yards. His 105.4 yards per game presently rank sixth in the country. His 297-yard receiving game against Boise State was the 10th-best yardage day in NCAA history and he established a Big West record with a 29.7 yards per catch average.
White, a junior from Ogden, Utah, topped the nation in all-purpose yardage with 238.9 yards per game for the sixth best average in NCAA history. As of games of Nov. 18, White ranked first in the nation in all-purpose yardage, 13th in rushing (120.2), 29th in scoring (8.2) and 23rd in kickoff returns (24.1). He is also second in the country in receptions by a running back with 4.3 per game.
Against New Mexico State, White established an NCAA record for all-purpose yardage in a game with 578. In that contest, he also set a school record with 322 yards rushing. White was also tabbed as the second-team return man after averaging 8.7 yards on 21 punt returns and 17.9 yards on 26 kickoff returns.
Long, a senior from Thornton, Colo., was a key member of USU's offensive line, which cleared the way for White and allowed just 15 quarterback sacks on the season. The 6-9 standout is the second-tallest player in USU history.
USU's second-team selections included quarterback Jose Fuentes, offensive guard Jim Walker, White as a return specialist, place kicker Brad Bohn, cornerback Adebolah Jimoh and punter Steve Mullins. Defensive tackle Nate Larsen was selected to the honorable mention team.
Bohn had been a first-team pick in 1998, while the others were selected for the first time.
Boise State quarterback Bart Hendricks earned the Offensive Player of the Year honors after leading the Broncos to the league title. Teammate Quintin Mikell shared the Defensive Player of the Year award with Idaho's Wil Beck, while Bronco head coach Dirk Koetter was named the Coach of the Year.
2000 All-Big West Conference Football Selections
Coach of the Year: Dirk Koetter, Boise State
Offensive Player of the Year: Bart Hendricks, Boise State
Defensive Player of the Year: Quintin Mikell, Boise State and Wil Beck, Idaho
First Team Offense
Pos. Name School Year
QB Bart Hendricks Boise State Senior
WR/RS Robert Kilow Arkansas State Senior
WR AARON JONES UTAH STATE Senior
WR Lou Fanucchi Boise State Sophomore
RB EMMETT WHITE UTAH STATE Junior
RB Willie Alderson Idaho Senior
OT Garry Johnson Arkansas State Sophomore
OL Scott Buttice Boise State Senior
C Matt Hancock New Mexico State Senior
OG Rick DeMulling Idaho Senior
OT JEFF LONG UTAH STATE Senior
TE Mike Roberg Idaho Senior
PK Nick Calaycay Boise State Sophomore
First Team Defense
Pos. Name School Year
DL Zach Weber Boise State Senior
DL Jeff Copp Boise State Senior
DL Wil Beck Idaho Junior
DL NATE PUTNAM UTAH STATE Freshman
ILB Brad Kassell North Texas Junior
ILB JESSE BUSTA UTAH STATE Sophomore
OLB BRENT PASSEY UTAH STATE Senior
OLB BLAKE EAGAL UTAH STATE Senior
S Quintin Mikell Boise State Sophomore
S Donald Malloy New Mexico State Senior
CB Dempsy Dees Boise State Senior
CB D. Ross Boise State Senior
CB Lawrence Ellis North Texas Senior
P Jeff Edwards Boise State Senior
Second Team Offense (USU Selections Only)
Pos. Name School Year
QB Jose Fuentes Utah State Sophomore
OL Jim Walker Utah State Junior
RS Emmett White Utah State Junior
PK Brad Bohn Utah State Senior
Second Team Defense (USU Selections Only)
Pos. Name School Year
CB Ade Jimoh Utah State Sophomore
P Steve Mullins Utah State Sophomore
Honorable Mention Defense (USU Selections Only)
Pos. Name School Year
DL Nate Larsen Utah State Senior
