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Quizz and Riley top conference honors

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--Tailback Jacquizz Rodgers of Oregon State
has been selected both Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the
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Year, middle linebacker Rey Maualuga of USC the Pat Tillman Defensive
Player of the Year and Mike Riley of Oregon State the Pac-10 Coach
of the Year. The award winners are selected by the Pac-10 head football coaches.
Offensive Player of the Year & Freshman of the Year Jacquizz Rodgers,
TB, Oregon State: Rodgers becomes the first freshman in Conference history
to be named offensive player of the year. The frosh from Richmond, Texas, burst
upon the Pac-10 scene this year becoming just the third freshman to rush for
1,000 yards in Conference history. Rodgers took over as the starter in the second
game of the season and caught the nation's attention in game four when he rushed
for 186 yards and two touchdowns in Oregon State's 27-21 upset win against No.
1-ranked USC and its topflight defense.
With a bowl game still to go, Rodgers has rushed 259 times for a Pac-10 freshman record 1,253 yards
(4.8) and 11 touchdowns. He has added 29 receptions for 247 yards and one touchdown to give
him an even 1,500 allpurpose yards for the season. Rodgers led the Beavers in rushing in nine of 11 games and
surpassed the 100-yard mark seven times. He was named Pac-10 offensive player of the week three
times and national player of the week following his performance against USC. Rodgers becomes
the first Oregon State player to be named Pac-10 offensive player of the year since the award was
inaugurated in 1975 and just the second player of the year overall from OSU, joining defensive end
Bill Swancutt, who earned defensive player of the year honors in 2004.
Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC: Maualuga,
a senior from Eureka, Calif., anchors the USC defense that leads the Pac-10
in every major statistical category and leads the nation in scoring defense
(7.8 points per game) and total defense (206.1 yards per game).The Trojan defense
posted three shutouts this season and has allowed only 11 touchdowns in 12 games.
Maualuga is a first-team All-Pac-10 selection for the third straight year and
is a first-team All-America pick this season. The defensive player of the game
in the Rose Bowl last season, Maualuga is a finalist for the Butkus Award, Lombardi
Award and Bednarik Award. He leads the Trojans in tackles with 73 stops and
has posted 267 career tackles. He led the Trojans in tackles in eight games
this year. Maualuga is the second straight Trojan to earn Pac-10 defensive player
of the year honors, following tackle Sedrick Ellis, who won the award last season
Coach of the Year Mike Riley, Oregon State: Oregon State had the fewest
returning starters in the Pac-10 entering this season and was picked to finish
seventh in the Conference. The Beavers promptly lost their first two games of
the season to make that prediction look accurate. But a stunning upset of then
top-ranked USC, still the only blemish on the Trojans' record this year, and
an October-November win streak of six straight games before losing to rival
Oregon in the Civil War in the season finale catapulted the Beavers to an 8-4
mark. Included was a record of 7-2 and a tie for second in Conference play,
good for a berth in the Brut Sun Bowl.
Riley has upped his eight-year record as head coach at Oregon State to 55-42,
the third-most victories in OSU history behind Lon Stiner and Tommy Prothro.
Riley becomes just the third Oregon State coach to be voted Pac-10 coach of
the year, following Dave Kragthorpe in 1989 and current Arizona State coach
Dennis Erickson in 2000.
In addition to individual awards, the Pac-10 coaches selected the 2008 All-Pac-10
Football Team that follows:
2008 ALL-PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL TEAM
First Team Offense
QB Mark Sanchez, Jr., USC
RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Fr., Oregon State (unanimous selection)
RB Jahvid Best, So., California
WR Mike Thomas, Sr., Arizona
WR Sammie Stroughter, Sr., Oregon State
TE Rob Gronkowski, So., Arizona (unanimous selection)
OL Alex Mack, Sr., California
OL Andy Levitre, Sr., Oregon State
OL Max Unger, Sr., Oregon
OL Eben Britton, Jr., Arizona
OL Ben Muth, Sr., Stanford
OL Kristofer O'Dowd, So., USC
First Team Defense
DL Nick Reed, Sr., Oregon
DL Fili Moala, Sr., USC
DL Brian Price, So., UCLA
DL Victor Butler, Sr., Oregon State
LB Brian Cushing, Sr., USC
LB Rey Maualuga, Sr., USC
LB Zack Follett, Sr., California
DB Kevin Ellison, Sr., USC (unanimous selection)
DB Syd'Quan Thompson, Jr., California
DB Taylor Mays, Jr., USC
DB Jairus Byrd, Jr., Oregon
DB Patrick Chung, Sr., Oregon
First Team Specialists
PK David Buehler, Sr., USC
P Aaron Perez, Sr., UCLA
KOR James Rodgers, So., Oregon State
PR Mike Thomas, Sr., Arizona
ST Patrick Chung, Sr., Oregon
Second Team Offense
QB Willie Tuitama, Sr., Arizona
RB Toby Gerhart, Jr., Stanford
RB Jeremiah Johnson, Sr., Oregon
WR Patrick Turner, Sr., USC
WR Michael Jones, Sr., Arizona State
TE Ed Dickson, Jr., Oregon
TE Ryan Moya, Jr., UCLA
OL Alex Fletcher, Sr., Stanford
OL Adam Speer, Sr., Oregon State
OL Fenuki Tupou, Sr., Oregon
OL Jeff Byers, Sr., USC
OL Noris Malele, Sr., California
Second Team Defense
DL Tyson Alualu, Jr., California
DL Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Jr., Washington
DL Brigham Harwell, Sr., UCLA
DL Clay Matthews, Sr., USC
LB Kaluka Maiava, Sr., USC
LB Keaton Kristick, Jr., Oregon State
LB Reggie Carter, Jr., UCLA
DB Alterraun Verner, Jr., UCLA
DB Brandon Hughes, Sr., Oregon State
DB Troy Nolan, Sr., Arizona State
DB Greg Laybourn, Sr., Oregon State
DB Devin Ross, Jr., Arizona
Second Team Specialists
PK Kai Forbath, So., UCLA
P Bryan Anger, Fr., California
KOR Terrence Austin, Jr., UCLA
PR Sammie Stroughter, Sr., Oregon
ST=special teams player (not a kicker or returner)
Offensive Player of the Year: Jacquizz Rodgers, TB, Fr., Oregon State
Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year: Rey Maualuga, MLB, Sr., USC
Freshman of the Year: Jacquizz Rodgers, TB, Oregon State
Coach of the Year: Mike Riley, Oregon State
Honorable Mention
ARIZONA: C Colin Baxter, So.; PK Jason Bondzio, Sr.; P Keenyn Crier, So.;
RB Nic Grigsby, So.; DT Earl Mitchell, Jr.; SS Cam Nelson, Jr.; MLB Ronnie Palmer, Sr.; DE Brooks Reed,
So.
ARIZONA STATE: QB Rudy Carpenter, Sr.; DE Dexter Davis, Jr.; DT Lawrence
Guy, Fr.; OT Shawn Lauvao, Jr.; OLB Mike Nixon, Jr.; DE Luis Vasquez, Sr.; PK Thomas Weber, So.;
KR Kyle Williams, Jr.
CALIFORNIA: ILB Anthony Felder, Sr.; DE Cameron Jordan, So.; OLB Mike Mohamed,
So.; FB Will Ta'ufo'ou, Sr.; ILB Worrell Williams, Sr.
OREGON: RB LeGarrette Blount, Jr.; OLB Jerome Boyd, Sr.,; OG Mark Lewis,
Sr.; WR Terence Scott, Sr.; P Josh Syria, Sr.; DE Will Tukuafu, Jr.; FS T.J. Ward, Jr.
OREGON STATE: S Al Afalava, Sr.; CB Keenan Lewis, Sr.; QB Lyle Moevao,
Jr.; WR Shane Morales, Sr.; DE Slade Norris, Sr.; DT Stephen Paea, So.
STANFORD: DE Tom Keiser, Fr.; DE Erik Lorig, Jr. ; FB Owen Marecic, So.;
OT Chris Marinelli, Jr.; OLB Pat Maynor, Sr.; PK Aaron Zagory, Sr.
UCLA: OLB Akeem Ayers, Fr.; FS Rahim Moore, Fr.; CB Michael Norris, Sr.
USC: OT Charles Brown, Jr.; CB Cary Harris, Sr.; TE Anthony McCoy, Jr;
TB Joe McKnight, So.; DE Kyle Moore, Sr.; CB Josh Pinkard, Sr.; FL Damian Williams, So.
WASHINGTON: OLB Mason Foster, So.; C Juan Garcia, Sr.; WR D'Andre Goodwin, So.; S Nate Williams, So.
WASHINGTON STATE: C Kenny Alfred, Jr.; WR Brandon Gibson, Sr.; MLB Greg
Trent, Sr.
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