Deseret News | Utah Utes football: Johnson, Sakoda, Whittingham headline All-MWC honors

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Utah Utes football: Johnson, Sakoda, Whittingham headline All-MWC honors

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Yeah baby | 3:15 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

The best quarterback in the conference has finally been named!

Always next year Maxie.

That's a joke | 3:19 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Bryan over Hall?? that's a joke. if the byu utah game had been any other game except the last game of the season Hall would have, and should have, won

Where is the Heisman Hype now? | 3:20 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Paging Max Hall..Paging Max Hall...please come to the Quest for Perfection room to see Brian Johnson pick up the MWC Offense Player of the Year award.

Comments continue below

good list | 3:29 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

I can't really argue with that list. They should just give a group WR award to Brown, Casteel, Godfrey, Reed, Wesson, and Brooks. Those six were amazing for Utah this year, and each would have been capable of putting up big numbers had they been a lone receiver. They shared the ball well without complaining, putting team ahead of individual glory.

77# | 3:32 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

he will get his personal vindetta in the bowl game for sure! the play starts with him so the MVP can be just that! To play that position requires quite a bit of knowledge for sure!

E-Red | 3:40 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

There is no way Brian Johnson was the best player in the MWC this year. Utah is 12-0, so they have to give the award to a Utah player and that player was Brian Johnson. Bad choice by the MWC....

Coungrats! | 3:43 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Congrats to BJ, Coach Whit, and King Louie! Very well deserved. Good luck in the BCS Bowl! Also, congrats to Jerry Hughes for DPOY. Hughes is a beast!

Joke | 3:44 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

What a joke!! Brian Johnson as the offensive player of the year. The guy is lucky he had a great defensive team. They put him in position to put points up all year. If he had to take the team 80 yards, he couldn't do it, except for the three drives this year that saved them from losing several games, when the other teams defense went conservative a let him look great for one drive the whole game. If it was a team award the 12-0 season would justify this selection. Individually, he looked average all year.

biased voting | 3:46 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Brian Johnson is not the best player in the MWC this year...biased voting because Utah is 12-0.

Anonymous | 3:59 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Austin Collie should have won it. Brian Johnson had an average year but was on a good team. The defense is why Utah went 12-0 not Brian Johnson. If he was that good he wouldn't have even needed to come back in those games on the final drive. He was the reason they needed to come back, because he had sucked all game. The defense kept them in it. Austin Collie #1 or in the top 5 in almost all receiving statistics. This is an individual award not a team award Collie had the better year. Alex Smith proved to be a product of his team as well and was completely overrated because of what the team accomplished.

Re: That's a joke | 4:03 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

It's not called joke --it's a choke on Max Hall's part.
He went from "Heisman" hype by BYU to "2nd-team" type...

Cats | 4:13 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

TO: Where us the Heisman Hype Now: Man, that remark was petty!

Sore losers | 4:15 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

I have never met a zoob that agreed with anything but "BYU is the lord's school".

BJ is the best in the Mtn West | 4:18 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Hey, don't cry over spilled milk. Utah won that last game. Hall did not play well in the 2nd half. Utah is 12-0 and that's about it. The all mtn west conf picks were on the money.

Nathaniel | 4:22 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Congratulations Utes!

Thank you Whittingham, Johnson, and Sakoda for your hard work and putting together a great season. You earned it.

Go Utes!

Un-U-nanimous? | 4:24 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

My only question is why Louis Sakoda, one of the best punters and place kickers in the entire nation, was NOT a unanimous selection to the first team.

He's not only the special teams MVP, he should be the Offensive MVP as well.

San Diego Ute | 4:24 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

You jealous zoobies make me laugh.... all the way to the BCS bank!!

It's not a joke... | 4:24 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

It's a choke on Max Hall.

Max choked when played against good teams like Utah and TCU --total of 2 or 3 TD and many INTs on 4 games vs TCU and Utah in 2007 and 2008.

Totally choked!!!

SoCalUtahFan

What??? | 4:25 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Seriously, are you serious? Brian Johnson over Max Hall for first-team QB? I thought this selection was supposed to honor the best player over the course of the ENTIRE YEAR, not just one game.

Brian Johnson is an average quarterback at best, who had one stellar game all year. Max Hall played superior football ALL YEAR, minus one, maybe two games. What a rediculous pick.

UTE FAN | 4:27 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

HAHA!!! YOUR QUEST WONT STOP EMBARRASSING YOU!
HOW ABOUT "THE QUEST FOR NOT PLAYING IN VEGAS"??

So Cal Ute | 4:31 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Listen Zoobies,

Except for the TCU and Utah games, Max Hall had a good year. Too bad he chokes like a chicken when it matters most!

What?! | 4:33 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

How does a player who throws for ten more touchdowns, one thousand more yards, and has a better QB rating not win that award?! Johnson in no way deserved to win it. The Utes went undefeated because of their defense! Not their overrated quarterback.

good selections | 4:37 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

It depends on the criteria for selecting player of the year. Brian Johnson may not have been the best player in the league, but he was the most valuable player. He is the one who took control of games and did what it took in the final moments to beat Air Force, Oregon State and TCU.

Max Hall, who had great numbers most of the year, did nothing when it counted against TCU and looked like the worst quarterback in the conference against Utah.

Provo Dad | 4:38 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

"That's a joke | 3:19 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Bryan over Hall?? that's a joke. if the byu utah game had been any other game except the last game of the season Hall would have, and should have, won".

Sorry but the joke is HALL, and those BYU fans who think he should have won. Get A Life You Lost!

re: joke | 4:40 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

we can't give it to Hall in the 2 most important games of the year against the utes and tcu he had 0 passing td's to 9 turnovers... You want us to throw the award at him cuz he lit it up against Wyoming, Colo st., UNLV and San Diego State??? Notice how they didnt name Johnson the conference MVP just offensive player of the year. and of the 2 game winning drives he had, he made the plays to win... How did Hall do in the first quarter of the TCU game? or when the game was on the line in the 3rd quarted at RES? thats what i thought

MAFU | 4:40 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Cougar Nation: HA! HA! HA! HA! HA HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

The gnashing of teeth continues!

clutch | 4:44 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Brian Johnson was clutch, game in, game out, when points were needed he came through. Max Hall however, in the biggest game of the year, made terrible desicions. Who would you rather have with 30 seconds to go, down by a touchdown???

Max just threw another interception Hall or
Brian Johnson?

BYU-Defense | 4:57 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Why did Jan Jorgensen make the first team on defense? Nobody on BYU should be on any defensive team awards. He is a good player but all of the defensive players should have been from TCU, New Mexico and Utah. What a joke!

TED | 5:03 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

if i was judging utahs football team by the comments of the ute fans that post here, i wouldn't pull for them to win if they were playing this nations worst enemy. but i'am not so i wiil pull for them in their bowl game. go figure how sad it is to receive the majority of the all mwc first team players then turn around and pound byu. good hell!!

BJ is a joke | 5:05 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Sad when the best in the Mtn. West will never even see the light of day in the NFL. BJ is an average QB. Average all year. Funny how one poor game by Max Hall, probably the worst of his career, is what determines his entire season of exceptional QB play. The QB with a very average year wins it, simply because his team goes 12-0. This is an INDIVIDUAL award. BJ's average play is NOT why the Utes went 12-0, the DEFENSE is. BJ will be exposed if they match up against a good team in the BCS. Just like he stunk it up against TCU until the last drive when TCU decided to play prevent, and let Johnson put up as many yard in one drive than he had the entire game.

Clutch | 5:12 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Bryan Johnson only had to be clutch because he sucked the entire game. Putting one drive together every 4 weeks does not qualify you for the award. I am not saying Max Hall deserves it either. However his individual stats are much better, for an individual award you would think that would matter. Austin Collie should have won it. He not only put up goods stats, he leads the nation. Something neither of the other two did. Max or BJ.

WOW | 5:12 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

That is just embarrassing. I kind of feel bad for max, just as he gets over the demoralizing game against byu, he gets demoted from heisman talk to 2nd team all MWC.

I guess that's what happens when you choke in the 2 most important games of the year. 0 passing TD's, 8 Turnovers.

Quite simply BYU did not have 1 quality win sorry zoobs but a 1 point win on a controversial call at Washington was not a good win.

How in the world could anyone make an educated argument that Max Hall was a better QB?

justice | 5:14 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

I agree with most of the selections, including Wittingham as Coach of the Year. But really, Brian Johnson as the Offensive POY? He's a good team player, a clutch guy, and he led his team to 12 wins. But he is NOT the MWC's best offensive player, not by a long shot. Max Hall may have muffed the Utah game, but this is Player of the Year, not Player of the Rivalry. Johnson would get that award hands down. But the stats just don't add up for POY. Max threw for 1,000 more yards, 10 more touchdowns, and had a 160 QB rating (compared to Johnson's 148 rating). And he still won 10 games--that's certainly not as good as a perfect season, but it's not half bad. Max even beat out Brian in the smaller categories--more rushing TDs and fewer sacks. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me. Brian Johnson deserves a lot of credit for what he's done, especially coming back from injuries and leading Utah to another BCS game. But that doesn't mean other conference players are less skilled. The numbers don't lie.

RE: BJ is a joke? | 5:14 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

This is college football not the NFL. By the way how did John Beck do this year in the NFL?

Winning Matters Most | 5:19 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

How can you think Hall deserves offensive player of the year? Would you rather have better stats or more wins? Football is about determining a winner and a loser. Johnson head to head with Hall? Need I say more?

Clutch | 5:21 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Everyone just keeps making the argument that BJ is so clutch and that is why he should win the award, even though is was mediocre the rest of the time. I believe in the 1997 Finals Steve Kerr hit the clutch shot against the Jazz and in another year it was John Paxon that was clutch for the Bulls. Should they be the MVP's. No way! Jordan was because he played well throughout the game, season, and the playoffs. A few clutch drives does not make Johnson the best offensive player in the conference. The Mtn West did this for attention with the BCS. They wanted something more to promote Utah in the BCS. Sad when it comes down to it the conference sells out, just like they claim the BCS does to them.

Realistic Cougar Fan | 5:28 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Let's get real Cougs. I love Max Hall but he chocked when it mattered most. It is kind of a trend with our Cougs I'm afraid - 1-20 against ranked teams says it all folks. We are a solid top 3 MWC team but we just cannot come through when it matters most. Hall personified that this season against TCU and Utah and therefore deserves his 2nd team MWC status. And unfortunately Hall wasn't just the losing QB in those games - he looked like a middle school QB at best. We can be fans and real at the same time!

Re: BYU-Defense | 5:29 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

"BYU-Defense | 4:57 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Why did Jan Jorgensen make the first team on defense? Nobody on BYU should be on any defensive team awards. He is a good player but all of the defensive players should have been from TCU, New Mexico and Utah. What a joke!"
_____________________________________
Let me take a stab at this...
Might it be due to the fact that...oh, I don't know...Jorgensen has MORE SACKS THAN ANYONE IN THE HISTORY OF THE MWC? I'm just thinking out loud, here.

RE: BJ is a joke? | 5:29 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Said: "This is college football not the NFL. By the way how did John Beck do this year in the NFL?"

Never said anything about Beck. What does that have to do with BJ ever seeing the the NFL. But, I will play your little game you Utes like to play.
What has Alex Smith done? What an overrated FLOP! No one expected Beck to be a NFL star. But the #1 pick - What a joke!!!! BJ only wishes he was as good as Beck or Smith.

The Ute fan | 5:33 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

I love all the jump on the BCS band wagon Ute fans this year. The Ute fan is a fan when they win and only when they win. The only 2 years you sell out your stadium is when you win every game, other than those 2 years you canï¿½t even sell out a small 45,000 seat stadium.
You have score board this year over the Y this year, I will give you that. Next year it will be back to normal and the Y will be back on top. You will be back to 30,000 fans and all the jump on the band wagon fans will again be gone.
Even in our bad years Y gets 60,000+ fans!
Youï¿½re going to get thumped in the BCS game!

More wins | 5:34 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

I guess Johnson won all those games all by his little self. No help whatsoever from the other players on the TEAM. BYU had a weak defense, if it was a little better they may be undefeated. Does that have anything to do with Max Hall. Brian Johnson was average all year as the stats show. His team was really good though. Going 12-0 does not qualify him for the individual award. With that argument every player on the team should win the individual awards for their positions because they were 12-0. What a dumb idea!

No such thing | 5:36 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

No such thing as a Ute fan. Only BYU haters.

Alex Smith | 5:38 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

"This is college football not the NFL. By the way how did John Beck do this year in the NFL?"

Good point- Alex Smith

Where does the U get a coach | 5:45 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Where does the U of U go to get a coach- they go and get a BYU grad. Is what it is!

jd | 5:47 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Cougar fans are funny......do you stop and wonder why nobody is after Robert Anae? Max Hall knew how to throw the ball to three people, that's it. BJ could throw to a variety of receivers. BJ had a better year. Hall should have had those big numbers due to playing a strength of schedule in the 100's, still hard to admit it huh cougars, UTES ARE BETTER! If only your coach had not jinxed the season with his "quest." If only your coach would have had his team practice in the summer, rather than go to movies. Austin Collie is not living right people, keep an eye out on him. By the way....Hall is still throwing interceptions, ha! GO UTES!

Alex Smith | 5:53 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Ute Fan- you make a good point about John Beck. It is not like you have a number one pick who is doing nothing in the NFL, not like he is playing on one of the worst team in the NFL as a 3rd string. No one that is mentioned in the same sentence as Ryan leaf.
Alex will not even be playing in the NFL in 2 years. He will be the #1 pick again- on ESPN top 10 #1 worst picks in NFL history!

Did you even think before you made that point???

Max drops back to pass | 5:58 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

he's looking for O - Player of the Year...and it's INTERCEPTED by another Utah player, this time it's Brian Johnson.

Max Hall is still throwing Interceptions!!!!

Strength of Schedule | 5:59 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

I keep hearing about BYU lack of schedule. Who do the U play? 1 good team OSU, OH that is right you guys beat Michigan and Weber State. Nice point!

Realistic Cougar Fan | 6:01 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Has spoken the truth. Why don't you Zoobies stop crying re read what he said. You Y fans act like all the top honnors belong to you cause you're BYU. Come back to reality you're going to have good & bad years, but things are different now You're never going to dominate again or be a national power house.

Re: Strength of Schedule | 6:10 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

We also BEAT TCU, not just played, BEAT THEM!

We held them to 10 points. Our Defense won the game!

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