Van Noy, Stephenson receive All-America honors

PROVO, Utah — BYU junior linebacker Kyle Van Noy and senior punter Riley Stephenson received All-America honors Monday as the two Cougars were named to the CBSSports.com All-America Second Team.

 

A 6-foot-3, 235-pound outside linebacker, Van Noy helped BYU limit opponents to just 266 yards and 14.7 points per game in 2012 to rank No. 3 in the nation in total defense and No. 5 in scoring defense. Van Noy made 11.5 sacks on the year to rank 10th nationally while totaling 18.5 tackles for loss overall, which ranks tied for 11th in the nation. His five forced fumbles ranks tied for fourth among all FBS players. Van Noy also added eight quarterback hurries, five pass breakups and an interception as a defensive playmaker for the Cougars.

 

Stephenson becomes the third Cougar punter to earn All-America recognition, joining Matt Payne (2004) and Pat Thompson (1988). The No. 2-ranked punter in the nation at 47.3 yards per punt, Stephenson led the nation with 26 punts of 50 or more yards and tied for second with 24 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.  The 6-foot, 205-pound Ray Guy Award semifinalist helped BYU rank No. 2 as a team in net punting in 2012. The four-year starter twice had long punts of 61 yards during the season.

 

The CBSSports.com 2012 All-America Team was voted on by staff, writers and bloggers from CBSSports.com.  To view a complete list of the team, select the following link: CBSSports.com 2012 College Football All-America Team.