.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Boise State Athletics
Photo by: USA Today Sports Images
#WatchListSZN Continues For Rypien, Williams
7/26/2018 8:00:00 AM | Football
BOISE, Idaho -Â The penultimate day of the NFCAA's #WatchListSZN featured a pair of Broncos each getting their name on a preseason award watch list as senior quarterback Brett Rypien was named a candidate for the Wuerffel Trophy, and redshirt sophomore CB/KR/PR Avery Williams was tabbed a candidate for the Paul Hornung Award.
Thursday's announcement marks the second-straight year in which Rypien has been named a preseason candidate for the Wuerffel Trophy, awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. Overall, it is the third watch list to which Rypien has been named this preseason. He was previously named to the watch lists of the Maxwell Award and Davey O'Brien Award.
For Williams, being named to the watch list of the Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse, given annually to the most versatile player in major college football, marks the first such honor of his career.Â
Each Bronco was recognized Tuesday morning at the start of the 2018 Mountain West Football Media Summit, as Rypien was named the conference's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and Williams the Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year. Together, they are the first Broncos to earn a preseason Mountain West individual honor since 2012. Additionally, both Rypien and Williams were named to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team, headlining a program-record eight selections for Boise State.
Rypien enters the 2018 campaign as the FBS active career leader in passing yardage at 9,876, and is just 2,815 yards shy of becoming the Mountain West's all-time leader (San Diego State's Ryan Lindley is the all-time leader at 12,690). The Spokane, Wash., native is coming off of a 2017 season in which he earned his third-straight All-MW nod, being named to the Second Team.
After a slow start to the campaign, which included an injury that knocked him out of Sept. 9's game at Washington State and forced him to miss the Sept. 14 game against New Mexico, Rypien has found his groove during Boise State's final seven games. Over that stretch, Rypien completed 162-of-256 passes (63.3 percent) for 2,231 yards and 15 touchdowns, bringing his final 2017 totals to 2,877 passing yards and 16 touchdowns along with a 62.6 completion percentage.
Williams, named to the All-Mountain West Second Team, and Boise State's first returner honored by the conference since Shane Williams-Rhodes earned honorable mention in 2013, electrified Bronco special teams in 2017. The Pasadena, Calif., native made a splashy debut Sept. 2 against Troy, returning a punt 81 yards for the game-opening touchdown on the first touch of his career, and finished the game with 124 yards over five returns.
Williams led the Mountain West and ranked 13th in the country with 11.2 yards per punt return, and his two punt-return touchdowns (the second came Oct. 14 at San Diego State) ranked second in the nation. He also averaged 24.7 yards over 15 kickoff returns.
On defense, Williams started 10 games at cornerback, intercepting two passes, breaking up eight, and making 45 tackles.
Boise State, the unanimous selection by the Mountain West media to capture the Mountain Division in 2018, opens its 2018 campaign Saturday, Sept. 1, at Troy. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 pm. MT and will be televised on ESPNews.
Boise State Players On 2018 Preseason Watch Lists
TE John Bates
John Mackey Award
CB Tyler Horton
Bednarik Award
Jim Thorpe Award
Bronko Nagurski Trophy
RB Alexander Mattison
Doak Walker Award
DT David Moa
Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Outland Trophy
S Kekoa Nawahine
Jim Thorpe Award
QB Brett Rypien
Maxwell Award
Davey O'Brien Award
Wuerffel Trophy
CB/KR/PR Avery Williams
Paul Hornung Award
Thursday's announcement marks the second-straight year in which Rypien has been named a preseason candidate for the Wuerffel Trophy, awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. Overall, it is the third watch list to which Rypien has been named this preseason. He was previously named to the watch lists of the Maxwell Award and Davey O'Brien Award.
For Williams, being named to the watch list of the Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse, given annually to the most versatile player in major college football, marks the first such honor of his career.Â
Each Bronco was recognized Tuesday morning at the start of the 2018 Mountain West Football Media Summit, as Rypien was named the conference's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and Williams the Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year. Together, they are the first Broncos to earn a preseason Mountain West individual honor since 2012. Additionally, both Rypien and Williams were named to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team, headlining a program-record eight selections for Boise State.
Rypien enters the 2018 campaign as the FBS active career leader in passing yardage at 9,876, and is just 2,815 yards shy of becoming the Mountain West's all-time leader (San Diego State's Ryan Lindley is the all-time leader at 12,690). The Spokane, Wash., native is coming off of a 2017 season in which he earned his third-straight All-MW nod, being named to the Second Team.
After a slow start to the campaign, which included an injury that knocked him out of Sept. 9's game at Washington State and forced him to miss the Sept. 14 game against New Mexico, Rypien has found his groove during Boise State's final seven games. Over that stretch, Rypien completed 162-of-256 passes (63.3 percent) for 2,231 yards and 15 touchdowns, bringing his final 2017 totals to 2,877 passing yards and 16 touchdowns along with a 62.6 completion percentage.
Williams, named to the All-Mountain West Second Team, and Boise State's first returner honored by the conference since Shane Williams-Rhodes earned honorable mention in 2013, electrified Bronco special teams in 2017. The Pasadena, Calif., native made a splashy debut Sept. 2 against Troy, returning a punt 81 yards for the game-opening touchdown on the first touch of his career, and finished the game with 124 yards over five returns.
Williams led the Mountain West and ranked 13th in the country with 11.2 yards per punt return, and his two punt-return touchdowns (the second came Oct. 14 at San Diego State) ranked second in the nation. He also averaged 24.7 yards over 15 kickoff returns.
On defense, Williams started 10 games at cornerback, intercepting two passes, breaking up eight, and making 45 tackles.
Boise State, the unanimous selection by the Mountain West media to capture the Mountain Division in 2018, opens its 2018 campaign Saturday, Sept. 1, at Troy. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 pm. MT and will be televised on ESPNews.
Boise State Players On 2018 Preseason Watch Lists
TE John Bates
John Mackey Award
CB Tyler Horton
Bednarik Award
Jim Thorpe Award
Bronko Nagurski Trophy
RB Alexander Mattison
Doak Walker Award
DT David Moa
Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Outland Trophy
S Kekoa Nawahine
Jim Thorpe Award
QB Brett Rypien
Maxwell Award
Davey O'Brien Award
Wuerffel Trophy
CB/KR/PR Avery Williams
Paul Hornung Award
Players Mentioned
TE
/ Football
CB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DT
/ Football
S
/ Football
QB
/ Football
CB
/ FootballSaturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
Tuesday, April 14
