Dec. 5, 2008

LOGAN, Utah - Five Utah State football players earned Phil Steele's all-Western Athletic Conference accolades, part of the publication's postseason awards list.

Linebacker Jake Hutton and placekicker Peter Caldwell were selected to the second-team while offensive lineman Brennan McFadden, defensive lineman Ben Calderwood and linebacker Paul Igboeli were tabbed to the third-team list.

This is the second-straight all-WAC honor from the publication for both Hutton and Igboeli, as Igboeli earned third-team honors and Hutton was an honorable mention selection last season.

Hutton is a native of Pocatello, Idaho (Highland HS) and was recently granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA and the WAC. This season he was second in the WAC and 26th in the NCAA in tackles with 110 total (9.2 per game). His 110 stops led USU as well as ranking second on the team with eight tackles for loss and tying for the team lead with two forced fumbles. Hutton's 110 tackles is the most for an Aggie individual since Robert Watts tallied 118 stops in 2003.

Hutton is currently No. 9 on USU's career tackles list with 328 tackles. He needs 118 tackles to catch Aggie career tackles record holder Del Lyles' 446 stops from 1988-91. David Gill is No. 2 with 425 from 1993-96.

Caldwell, a sophomore from Kaysville, Utah (Davis HS), was selected to the list as placekicker, but also punted for the Aggies this season. He was 10-of-12 (.833) on field goals, leading the WAC in field goal percentage as well as sixth in the league in field goals per game (0.83). Caldwell was also 32-of-33 (.970) on extra points this season, missing his final attempt of the year in USU's 47-2 season-finale win on Nov. 29. That was also the first miss of his career, after making all of his previous 57 others. He is seventh on USU's career field goals made list with 23 and eighth on the career field goals attempted list with 33, ranking fifth in the career field goal percentage list (.700).

McFadden, native of Grass Valley, Calif. (Nevada Union HS), started the first seven games of the season at right guard, before filling in at center in the ninth game of the year after the Aggies' top two centers went down with injuries. McFadden helped anchor a USU offense that posted 4,011 yards of total offense, the most since 4,204 in 2003. The Aggies also had 1,653 rushing yards, the most since 1,941 in 1999 while USU's 2,358 passing yards were the most since 2003's 2,904 yards.

Igboeli, a Grand Prairie, Texas (South Grand Prairie HS) native, tallied 78 tackles, ranking second on the team behind Hutton, as well as 12th in the WAC. He also had six tackles for loss, four pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries, an interception and a blocked field goal. Igboeli is closing in on the USU career tackles top 10 list, as he currently has 240 stops, needing 87 tackles to tie Al Smith's 327 stops from 1984-86.

Calderwood, a senior defensive lineman from Hyde Park, Utah (Sky View HS), tied a single-game WAC best this season with three sacks in the Aggies' win over New Mexico State. He also recovered a fumble that led to a 56-yard field goal for USU and Calderwood helped lead a defense that held New Mexico State to -7 rushing yards and 156 yards of total offense, 217 below its season average. All of which earned him his second career WAC Defensive Player of the Week honor.

For the season, Calderwood was sixth on the team overall and first among defensive linemen with 39 tackles (16 solo, 23 assists). That included eight and a half tackles for loss and four and a half sacks, as well as three fumble recoveries, all of which were team-highs.

Calderwood ends his career with 139 tackles (64 solo, 75 assists) including 21.5 tackles for loss for a total of 85 yards, nine sacks for 54 yards and four fumble recoveries.

Hutton, McFadden and Igboeli also earned second-team all-WAC honors from the conference office.

Utah State finished the season with a 3-9 overall and 3-5 WAC record, marking the first time since 2005 that the Aggies have three wins in a season. USU won three WAC games in a season for the first time in the Aggies' four seasons in the league. It is also the first time since 2003 that USU won three conference games and just the third time in the 2000's.