Oct. 15, 2013

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State football had four offensive player and four defensive players named to Phil Steele's College Football Midseason all-Mountain West team it was annoucned Tuesday. USU is currently 3-4 on the season and tied for second-place in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West with a 2-1 record.

Utah State players named first-team midseason all-Mountain West include senior Tyler Larsen and sophomore Kyler Fackrell. Aggie players named to the all-MW midseason second team include seniors Jake Doughty, Nevin Lawson and Eric Schultz, and juniors Chuckie Keeton and Zach Vigil. USU players named to the all-MW midseason third team include senior Jamie Markosian.

Overall, Utah State's eight Phil Steele's College Football Midseason all-Mountain West team honors rank tied for the third-most in the conference behind Fresno State (13) and Wyoming (9), and tied with Boise State (8) and Colorado State (8). Nevada and San Jose State both had seven mid-season selections, followed by New Mexico (6), San Diego State (6), UNLV (6), Air Force (3) and Hawai'i (3).

Larsen, a 6-4, 312-pound center from Salt Lake City, Utah (Jordan HS) has graded out at 89 percent or above in every game this year and has recorded 27 knockdowns.

Fackrell, a 6-5, 245-pound linebacker from Mesa, Ariz. (Mesa HS) ranks tied for seventh in the Mountain West and tied for 74th in the nation in fumbles forced (0.3 pg), ninth in the MW in tackles for loss (1.1 pg), 10th in the MW and 73rd in the nation in sacks (0.6 pg), and 29th in the MW in tackles (6.6 pg). Overall, Fackrell ranks first on the team in tackles for loss (8.0) and sacks (4.0), tied for first in forced fumbles (2) and is fourth with 46 total tackles (21-solo).

Doughty, a 6-0, 234-pound linebacker from Draper, Utah (Juan Diego HS) ranks second in the Mountain West and fifth in the nation in tackles (11.9 pg). Overall, Doughty leads the team with 83 total tackles (20-solo), and is fourth in tackles for loss (4.5), and tied for fourth in forced fumbles (1).

Lawson, a 5-10, 186-pound cornerback from Lauderhill, Fla. (Piper HS) ranks fifth in the Mountain West and tied for 43rd in the nation in interceptions (0.43 pg), and ninth in the MW in passes defended (1.1 pg). Overall, Lawson leads the team in both interceptions (3) and passes defended (8), and is tied for sixth with 28 total tackles (12-solo).

Schultz, a 6-4, 300-pound offensive lineman from Connell, Wash. (Connell HS) has graded out at 85 percent or above in every game except one this year and has recorded 20 knockdowns.

Keeton, a 6-2, 200-pound quarterback from Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek HS) ranks third in the nation with 18 touchdowns passes. Keeton also ranks second in the Mountain West and eighth in the nation in points responsible for (20.0 pg), first in the MW and 21st in the nation in passing efficiency (157.1), third in the MW and 10th in the nation in completion percentage (.694), fourth in the MW and 15th in the nation in completions (22.7), fifth in the MW and 35th in the nation in total offense (271.5 ypg), and seventh in the MW and 44th in the nation in passing (231.3 ypg). On the season, Keeton is 136-of-196 passing for 1,388 yards with 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He has also carried the ball 55 times for 241 yards with two touchdowns.

Vigil, a 6-2, 232-pound linebacker from Clearfield, Utah (Clearfield HS) ranks tied for third in the MW and tied for 25th in the nation in tackles (9.7 pg), tied for seventh in the MW and tied for 74th in the nation in fumbles forced (0.3 pg), and 10th in the MW and 67th in the nation in fumbles recovered (0.3 pg). On the season, Vigil ranks second on the team in both tackles with 68 (20-solo) and tackles for loss (5.5), is tied for first in forced fumbles (2), and first in fumbles recovered (2).

Markosian, a 6-2, 292-pound offensive lineman from Salt Lake City, Utah (Juan Diego HS) has graded out at 83 percent or above in every game this year and has recorded 32 knockdowns.

Utah State (3-4, 2-1 MW) continues its 2013 season this weekend playing at Mountain West foe New Mexico (2-4, 0-2 MW) on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised regionally by ROOT Sports (Comcast Ch. 52/693HD, Dish Network Ch. 414, DirecTV Ch. 683) and available to watch live streaming on the internet via the Mountain West Network

For Aggie football ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the "Buy Tickets" tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com.

Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball or on facebook at Utah State Football, as well as on instagram at instagram.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on facebook at Utah State University Athletics.