Cougars Picked Third at MWC Media Days

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LAS -- BYU was tabbed to finish third in the Mountain West Conference while Cougar offensive lineman Matt Reynolds and safety Andrew Rich were both named to the Preseason All-MWC Team, as chosen by conference media members Tuesday at MWC Media Day.

Reynolds was one of three unanimous selections to the team, in the latest of a collection of preseason honors for the junior including the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award watch lists and multiple Preseason All-American teams. Last season, Reynolds was named to the All-MWC First Team and College Football News All-Sophomore Team in addition to being an MWC All-Academic team member. He was a 2008 The 2008 Freshman All-American has started every game in his career, helping BYU to a 21-5 record over the past two seasons.

“It’s always an honor to be recognized for your efforts on the field,” said Reynolds at the MWC Media Day. “My focus is to perform well and help our team be successful.”

Rich returns for his senior season as the leader of the Cougar defensive and a Lott Trophy candidate. After being named MWC Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against No. 3 Oklahoma, Rich went on to earn All-MWC Second Team honors in 2009 and was named to the MWC All-Academic team for the second year in a row.

“It’s an honor to be named to the Preseason All-MWC Team. At the same time it is preseason,” said Rich on Tuesday. “The award is not about the individual, but the team. It’s my teammates and the coaches that really deserve the recognition.”

The Cougars received 207 points from members of the media in the preseason poll, good for third place. TCU was the unanimous choice to finish atop the standings with all 31 first-place votes and 279 points, while Utah was picked to finish second with 242 points.

The Cougars posted a second-place finish (7-1) in MWC play in 2009 and concluded the season with an 11-2 overall record. BYU, which finished ranked No. 12 in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ polls, respectively, returns six starters from an offensive unit that ranked among the top 25 in scoring, pass and total offense last season. Six starters also return on defense for the Cougars.

BYU has been picked third in the MWC preseason poll on three other occasions (2000, 2001, 2002). In 2001, the Cougars finished first while in 2000 the team finished tied for third and seventh in 2002.

Fall camp begins on Saturday, Aug. 7, with the regular season getting under way against Washington at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 4.

Preseason MWC Football Media Poll
1. TCU (279)
2. Utah (242)
3. BYU (207)
4. Air Force (195)
5. Wyoming (147)
6. San Diego State (128)
7. Colorado State (96)
8. UNLV (56)
9. New Mexico (45)
(Number of points in parentheses) 
Preseason All-MWC Team
OFFENSE
QB Andy Dalton, TCU
WR Vincent Brown, SDSU
WR Phillip Payne, UNLV
RB Eddie Wide, Utah
RB Jared Tew, Air Force
OL Matt Reynolds, BYU
OL Jake Kirkpatrick, TCU
OL Caleb Schlauderaff, Utah
OL Marcus Cannon, TCU
OL Zane Taylor, Utah
TE Alston Umuolo, SDSU
DEFENSE
DL Johnathan Rainey, New Mexico
DL Wayne Daniels, TCU
DL Cory Grant, TCU
LB Carmen Messina, New Mexico
LB Tank Carder, TCU
LB Brian Hendricks, Wyoming
LB Mychal Sisson, Colorado State
DB Brandon Burton, Utah
DB Reggie Rembert, Air Force
DB Anthony Wright, Air Force
DB Andrew Rich, BYU
DB Chris Prosinksi, Wyoming
SPECIAL TEAMS
P Brian Stahovich, SDSU
PK Ross Evans, TCU
RS Jeremy Kerley, TCU
Offensive Player of the Year: Andy Dalton, Sr., QB, TCU
Defensive Player of the Year: Tank Carder, Jr., LB, TCU
Special Teams Player of the Year: Jeremy Kerley, Sr., KR/PR TCU