The Mountain West has released its all-conference teams. How many Bulldogs were honored?
Fresno State right tackle Alex Akingbulu and safety Evan Williams were selected first-team All-Mountain West Conference on Tuesday and eight Bulldogs were on second teams or gained honorable mention.
Akingbulu, who started all 12 games at right tackle, was the Bulldogs’ most consistent offensive lineman in run and pass blocking while playing the second-most snaps on the team, according to Pro Football Focus.
He played through a number of nagging injuries, anchoring a unit that paved the way for the Bulldogs to rank first in the conference in total offense and second in scoring offense, with a bowl game to go.
“That was awesome to see. That kid put in a lot of work and it was good to see it come to fruition,” offensive line coach Roman Sapolu said. “I think it started with his mental approach. He wanted it really bad. I think he set a goal for himself last winter and he held himself to that standard of always wanting to put his best out there on the field.”
Williams also was a pillar for the Bulldogs and was at his best in the biggest games, racking up 12 tackles at No. 11 Oregon and No. 13 UCLA, 10 against Nevada, 13 at San Diego State and 10 against Boise State.
The junior led Fresno State in tackles by a wide margin with 86 – linebackers Malachi Langley and Levelle Bailey were tied for second with 53. Williams also had three interceptions, leading a team that allowed only 342.3 yards and 20.3 points per game, third and fourth in the Mountain West.
“What Evan does behind the scenes is what makes an honor like that possible,” Bulldogs’ safeties coach Chuck Morrell said. “It’s been such a blessing to coach a young man that prepares the way he prepares and the other big thing is how passionate he is about the game of football. That young man just absolutely loves the game and that shows up.
“The third piece is that he is incredibly intelligent, not only in the classroom but with the Xs and Os. Schematically, it was a joy. We could literally do anything we wanted. We could move him around and have him do a lot of different things and, man, he was our anchor the whole season.”
Quarterback Jake Haener, wideout Jalen Cropper and defensive end David Perales were second-team selections for the Bulldogs and Bailey, defensive tackle Kevin Atkins, defensive end Arron Mosby, wideout Josh Kelly and running back Ronnie Rivers gained honorable mention.
Fresno State is 9-3 and 6-2 in conference play, in the race for a West Division title to the final weekend. The Bulldogs are bowl-eligible, with matchups to be finalized on Sunday following conference title games.
The offensive player of the year was Nevada quarterback Carson Strong, who led the conference in passing yards and touchdown passes, but was 1-3 against Mountain West teams that finished with winning records including losses to division rivals Fresno State and San Diego State.
The defensive player of the year was San Diego State defensive end Cameron Thomas, the special teams player of the year Aztecs punter Matt Araiza, the freshman of the year UNLV quarterback Cameron Friel and the coach of the year the Aztecs’ Brady Hoke.
Fresno State had just one first-team all-conference player in an abbreviated COVID-19 season a year ago, Rivers.
The Bulldogs had linebackers Justin Rice and Mykal Walker make the first team in 2019 and linebacker Jeff Allison, offensive lineman Christian Cronk, cornerback Tank Kelly and Walker were first-team in 2018.
San Diego State leads the 2021 list with eight picks.
This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 3:57 PM.