Fresno State Athletics
Photo by: Keith Kountz/Fresno St
Athlon Sports tags 12 Bulldogs to All-MW preseason team
5/23/2018 4:00:00 PM | Football
FRESNO, Calif. – An annual signature of the summer months waiting for the football season to arrive are preseason prognostications released by respective organizations covering the sport. The first of that group is Athlon Sports, who announced on Wednesday that the Fresno State football team totaled 12 selections on its 2018 All-Mountain West team, tops in the West Division and third-most overall in the league.
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The Bulldogs had three named to the first-team (tied for third-most in the MW), two to the second-team, three to the third-team and four to the fourth-team to make up the 12 picks.
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The first-teamers were wide receiver KeeSean Johnson, linebacker Jeffrey Allison and cornerback Jaron Bryant. Of the trio, Allison was the Bulldogs' sole 2017 All-Mountain West first-team selection while Johnson was a second-team choice and Bryant was an honorable mention selection a season ago.
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Allison led the team with 126 total tackles last season as a true sophomore, which ranked 15th in the nation, 79 of which were solo tackles, ranking tied for seventh-most in the nation. Johnson led the team in receptions (77), receiving yards (1,013) and touchdowns (8) for the second-straight season in 2017 and owns the most career active starts on the team with 35. He enters 2018 needing 54 receptions and 1,222 receiving yards to become the program's all-time leader in each of those categories. Bryant was one of 13 FBS players to record multiple interception touchdown returns in 2017 and led Fresno State with four interceptions – returning two for TDs making him the first Bulldog to record multiple INT-TD returns since Phillip Thomas (3) in 2012.
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The second-team consisted of two offensive linemen, Micah St. Andrew and Netane Muti. Both pieces from last year's offensive line that started all 14 games and helped last year's unit rank third in the nation in sacks allowed (0.71 per game).
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Quarterback Marcus McMaryion, linebacker George Helmuth and punter Blake Cusick made up the third-team.
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McMaryion's record was 9-2 as the Bulldogs' starter in 2017, taking over starting duties in game No. 4 of the season. He passed for 2,726 yards (218-of-351) and 14 touchdowns against five interceptions seeing action in all 14 games. He also rushed for 302 yards and four touchdowns on 57 carries. In Fresno State's first bowl victory since 2007, McMaryion passed for a career-high 342 yards in the Hawai'i Bowl vs. Houston on Dec. 24 with a career-best 33 completions and career-high 48 attempts. In 2017, Helmuth emerged as one of the Bulldogs' top defensive playmakers finishing second on the team and 16th in the MW with 89 total tackles, and ranked fourth on the team in tackles for loss (8.0) and tied for fourth on the team in sacks (4.0). Cusick handled punting duties for a second-straight season last year and of the 67 attempts he had, nearly half of his punts were fair-caught (33), 19 landed inside the 20-yard line and 16 kicks went for more than 50 yards. His average was 42.5 yards per attempt.
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Rounding out the Fresno State selections on the fourth team were running back Jordan Mims, wide receiver Jamire Jordan, offensive lineman Christian Cronk and safety Juju Hughes.
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Mims, as a true freshman in 2017, started three games and played in all 14. He owned a team-high 151 carries and a team-high 627 rushing yards (44.8/per game) while helping the air attack with 14 receptions for 143 yards. He scored six times, all TDs on the ground, ranking second for Bulldog running backs and third on the team in that category. Jordan was the Bulldogs' third-leading receiver (receptions and yards) last year, recording 27 catches for 562 yards and three touchdowns. He was Fresno State's primary deep threat, leading the team with 20.8 yards per catch; nine of his 27 receptions were for 30 yards or more (two were TDs while three more set Fresno State up with 1st-and-Goal situations). Cronk was the third offensive lineman named to the Athlon All-MW team and the third of the five starters from the 2017 team that are returning to the 2018 squad. Lastly, Hughes ranked tied for fourth on the team with 71 total tackles a year ago and owned seven pass breakups to go along with one interception, and one forced fumble, one fumble recovered and one quarterback hurry.
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ATHLON SPORTS ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST TEAM (FRESNO STATE ONLY)
First-Team
WR KeeSean Johnson
LB Jeffrey Allison
CB Jaron Bryant
Second-Team
OL Micah St. Andrew
OL Netane Muti
Third-Team
QB Marcus McMaryion
LB George Helmuth
P Blake Cusick
Fourth-Team
RB Jordan Mims
WR Jamire Jordan
OL Christian Cronk
S Juju Hughes
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An important note on the all-conference teams: These are based on how players will perform in 2018 by Athlon Sports. Career statistics and awards matter in the evaluation, but choosing players for the 2018 all-conference team is largely based on predicting and projecting the best for the upcoming year. To view the entire Athlon Sports team, click HERE.
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"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160
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Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateFB
Instagram: Fresno_State_Football
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
Snap Chat: FSAthletics
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The Bulldogs had three named to the first-team (tied for third-most in the MW), two to the second-team, three to the third-team and four to the fourth-team to make up the 12 picks.
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The first-teamers were wide receiver KeeSean Johnson, linebacker Jeffrey Allison and cornerback Jaron Bryant. Of the trio, Allison was the Bulldogs' sole 2017 All-Mountain West first-team selection while Johnson was a second-team choice and Bryant was an honorable mention selection a season ago.
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Allison led the team with 126 total tackles last season as a true sophomore, which ranked 15th in the nation, 79 of which were solo tackles, ranking tied for seventh-most in the nation. Johnson led the team in receptions (77), receiving yards (1,013) and touchdowns (8) for the second-straight season in 2017 and owns the most career active starts on the team with 35. He enters 2018 needing 54 receptions and 1,222 receiving yards to become the program's all-time leader in each of those categories. Bryant was one of 13 FBS players to record multiple interception touchdown returns in 2017 and led Fresno State with four interceptions – returning two for TDs making him the first Bulldog to record multiple INT-TD returns since Phillip Thomas (3) in 2012.
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The second-team consisted of two offensive linemen, Micah St. Andrew and Netane Muti. Both pieces from last year's offensive line that started all 14 games and helped last year's unit rank third in the nation in sacks allowed (0.71 per game).
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Quarterback Marcus McMaryion, linebacker George Helmuth and punter Blake Cusick made up the third-team.
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McMaryion's record was 9-2 as the Bulldogs' starter in 2017, taking over starting duties in game No. 4 of the season. He passed for 2,726 yards (218-of-351) and 14 touchdowns against five interceptions seeing action in all 14 games. He also rushed for 302 yards and four touchdowns on 57 carries. In Fresno State's first bowl victory since 2007, McMaryion passed for a career-high 342 yards in the Hawai'i Bowl vs. Houston on Dec. 24 with a career-best 33 completions and career-high 48 attempts. In 2017, Helmuth emerged as one of the Bulldogs' top defensive playmakers finishing second on the team and 16th in the MW with 89 total tackles, and ranked fourth on the team in tackles for loss (8.0) and tied for fourth on the team in sacks (4.0). Cusick handled punting duties for a second-straight season last year and of the 67 attempts he had, nearly half of his punts were fair-caught (33), 19 landed inside the 20-yard line and 16 kicks went for more than 50 yards. His average was 42.5 yards per attempt.
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Rounding out the Fresno State selections on the fourth team were running back Jordan Mims, wide receiver Jamire Jordan, offensive lineman Christian Cronk and safety Juju Hughes.
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Mims, as a true freshman in 2017, started three games and played in all 14. He owned a team-high 151 carries and a team-high 627 rushing yards (44.8/per game) while helping the air attack with 14 receptions for 143 yards. He scored six times, all TDs on the ground, ranking second for Bulldog running backs and third on the team in that category. Jordan was the Bulldogs' third-leading receiver (receptions and yards) last year, recording 27 catches for 562 yards and three touchdowns. He was Fresno State's primary deep threat, leading the team with 20.8 yards per catch; nine of his 27 receptions were for 30 yards or more (two were TDs while three more set Fresno State up with 1st-and-Goal situations). Cronk was the third offensive lineman named to the Athlon All-MW team and the third of the five starters from the 2017 team that are returning to the 2018 squad. Lastly, Hughes ranked tied for fourth on the team with 71 total tackles a year ago and owned seven pass breakups to go along with one interception, and one forced fumble, one fumble recovered and one quarterback hurry.
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ATHLON SPORTS ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST TEAM (FRESNO STATE ONLY)
First-Team
WR KeeSean Johnson
LB Jeffrey Allison
CB Jaron Bryant
Second-Team
OL Micah St. Andrew
OL Netane Muti
Third-Team
QB Marcus McMaryion
LB George Helmuth
P Blake Cusick
Fourth-Team
RB Jordan Mims
WR Jamire Jordan
OL Christian Cronk
S Juju Hughes
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An important note on the all-conference teams: These are based on how players will perform in 2018 by Athlon Sports. Career statistics and awards matter in the evaluation, but choosing players for the 2018 all-conference team is largely based on predicting and projecting the best for the upcoming year. To view the entire Athlon Sports team, click HERE.
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"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160
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Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateFB
Instagram: Fresno_State_Football
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
Snap Chat: FSAthletics
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