The annual Mountain West conference awards were announced online on Nov. 29. As the football regular season comes to a close, 12 Mountain West conference coaches and a select media panel selected the winners.
Head coach Andy Avalos and freshman star quarterback Taylen Green both won Mountain West season awards on Nov. 29. Avalos won Mountain West Coach of the Year and Green received Mountain West Freshman of the Year.
Avalos, a former Boise State all-conference linebacker, became the university’s 11th football coach in January 2021.
Avalos is the first Bronco football head coach to earn a Coach of the Year accolade since Chris Petersen in 2008 and 2009.
In his second year as head coach, Avalos led Boise State to an 8-0 conference record and a Mountain Division title.
The Broncos rank top 10 nationally in pass defense (third), pass efficiency defense (fourth), total defense (seventh), third-down conversion defense (eighth) and scoring defense (ninth).
Bronco quarterback Green led Boise State to a 7-1 record after taking over the starting quarterback position against San Diego State five weeks into the 2022 season.
The star freshman threw for over 200 yards in six of his eight starts, including a 305-yard performance against Colorado State.
Green also rushed for 437 yards this season and recorded 12 passing touchdowns and eight more on the ground.
Green is the first Boise State quarterback to run for 100 or more yards in a single game since 2014 and the first in program history to have two 100-yard performances in a single season.
Additionally, his 91-yard touchdown run against Utah State marked the longest run from scrimmage in program history.
Along with Avalos and Green, the sixth-year senior offensive lineman John Ojukwu and senior safety JL Skinner were both named to the All-MW First Team.
For the second-consecutive season, Ojukwu was selected to the first team, marking his third-straight all-conference award.
Skinner earned his second all-conference award after receiving a second-team slot a year ago.
He leads Boise State with four interceptions and is second in 59 tackles, including 34 solo tackles.
Skinner’s four interceptions is also tied for the second-most in the Mountain West. He is just one of 12 student-athletes nationally to record at least 55 tackles and four interceptions in 2022.
Boise State had five athletes awarded second-team all conference honors as well.
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Cade Beresford and junior running back George Holani took over the spots on the offensive side.
Defensively,redshirt senior defensive tackle Scott Matlock, sixth-year senior linebacker Ezekiel Noa and redshirt senior linebacker DJ Schramm all received second-team honors.
Fifth-year cornerback Caleb Biggers, junior kicker Jonah Dalmas, Taylen Green, freshman running back Ashton Jeanty and sixth-year senior nickelback Tyreque Jones earned honorable mention.
As Boise State looks ahead to the Mountain West Championship game against West Division Champion Fresno State on Dec. 3, there is much for the Broncos to be proud of this season.
Claire Keener | The Arbiter
