COLORADO SPRINGS -- Twelve BYU players were among those honored by the Mountain West Conference, including three first-team honorees. The league announced the 2003 All-MWC Football team on Wednesday, as selected by the league's head coaches and select media.
Junior defensive end Brady Poppinga and punter Matt Payne earned All-Mountain West Conference first-team honors for the second straight season, while Aaron Francisco also picked up first-team honors. Running back Reynaldo Brathwaite also received post-season recognition, earning All-MWC second-team honors. Defenisve backs Jernaro Gilford and James Allen, linebackers Colby Bockwoldt and Mike Tanner, offensive linemen Scott Jackson and Quinn Christensen, receiver Toby Christensen and defensive lineman Ifo Pili earned All-MWC honorable-mention honors.
"It's nice for our guys to be recognized by the league's coaches and media like this," BYU football coach Gary Crowton said. "As a coaching staff, we know what guys like Brady, Aaron, Matt and Rey do for our program. With all these guys coming back next year, and some guys who we think are going to be right up there, we're looking forward to building on these positives."
Poppinga finished the season with 55 tackles, including 34 solo takedowns. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound junior ranked second in the MWC with 6.0 sacks and had 13 tackles for a combined loss of 43 yards. The Evanston, Wyo., native was credited with a season-high eight tackles against Notre Dame and totaled six or more tackles in four games during the season.
Like Poppinga, Payne earned All-Conference honors for the second straight season after leading the Mountain West with a 44.01 yards-per-punt average. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder recorded at least one punt of 50 or more yards in all 12 games this season. He was credited with a season-high 67-yard punt against Stanford, and posted a 66-yarder at Wyoming. The North Ogden, Utah native recorded an average of 51.0 yards per punt in three different games during the season, including a career-best 51.6 yards-per-punt average in the Cougars' overtime victory at UNLV. Payne was credited with a total of 22 punts over 50 yards and had 22 punts inside the opponent's 20-yardline.
Francisco, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior from Laie, Hawaii ranked third in the Mountain West with a career-high 116 tackles on the season, averaging 9.7 takedowns per game. Francisco totaled 53 solo tackles and was credited with seven tackles for a combined loss of 14 yards. He led the Cougars with three interceptions on the season and totaled three pass deflections, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Francisco posted double-digit tackles in six different games during the season, including a stretch of three straight games. During that period, he recorded 32 tackles. Francisco recorded a season-high 13 stops against Notre Dame.
Brathwaite picked up second-team honors after leading the Cougars with 812 yards rushing in 10 games this season. He ranked fifth in the Mountain West with an 81.2 yards-per-game average. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound running back set a BYU record against San Diego State, scoring on a 95-yard run to help pace the Cougars to a 44-36 win over the Aztecs. That play also tied the MWC record for the longest run in the league's five-year history. Brathwaite produced a career-high 169 yards on 19 carries in the Cougars' 10-7 win over New Mexico, and was credited with an 89-yard run against the lobos. That play marked the third longest run from scrimmage in BYU history.