USU Football Presents Team Awards at End of Year Banquet

Utah State also announced its team awards, with Jackson receiving the Big Blue Scholarship Fund Varsity Award, while Singleton received the team's Iron Aggie Award. Richards was presented with the John Hill Award. Freshman Ben Longshore was tabbed the Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year, while junior linebacker Deshon Benton was recognized as the Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year.

 

Maile was tabbed the Defensive MVP while Robinson was named the Offensive MVP.

The Big Blue Scholarship Fund Varsity Award honors a senior who is involved in the community and has academic as well as athletic achievement. Jackson is expected to earn his political science degree this fall, and is involved in several USU groups.

 

On the field, Jackson, a Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach Poly HS) native, set a school record this year with a 65.4 completion percentage. Jackson's 132.07 passing efficiency rating this season, is the highest for a USU QB with at least 100 attempts since 1979 and is the fifth-highest ever in USU history since 1956.

Jackson ended the year with 1,576 passing yards and 338 rushing yards, throwing for nine TD's and rushing for six scores. Jackson broke his own school record for rushing yards by a QB (328 in his sophomore season of 2005 that he shared with Jerod Walker, also in 2005). His six rushing TD's were the most for a USU QB since Matt Sauk had six in 1997, while his six TD's are the most for a USU individual since David Fiefia's seven rushing TD's in 2003.

Singleton received the team's Iron Aggie Award, acknowledging the hardest worker and the most progress in the weight room, marking the fourth year in a row for a defensive lineman to receive the award. A native of New Orleans, La. (Carver HS/Bakersfield JC), led USU and had the third-most sacks in the Western Athletic Conference with 6.0, with 4.5 of them coming in WAC games, as part of his 41 tackles (21 solo, 20 assists). He ranked 11th for defensive lineman in the WAC in tackles for loss with 7.5 including 6.0 of them in WAC games. Singleton also tied for the WAC lead with four forced fumbles.

Richards received the John Hill Award for overcoming an injury, named after former Aggie linebacker John Hill, who was seriously injured in his freshman season of 1981 and was physically unable to play football again but stayed on scholarship and acted as student assistant coach for the team. Richards, a native of West Valley City, Utah (Hunter HS), had his 2006 season cut short with a high ankle injury and limited to only nine games but then was granted an extra year of eligibility prior to this season. He had two catches for 29 yards this year.

Longshore, a native of Santa Clarita, Calif. (Canyon HS), was tabbed the Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year, for his role in helping the Aggie defense prepare for their opponent. Benton, a junior linebacker from Modesto, Calif. (Downey HS/Modesto JC), was named the Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year, for helping prepare the USU offense. Both redshirted this season.

 

Maile, a Sandy, Utah (Alta HS), native, was named Utah State's Defensive MVP. He tied for second on the team with 8.0 tackles for loss as part of his 32 tackles on the season. Maile also had two pass break-ups and one forced fumble. Maile started all 12 games this year, ending his Aggie career with 22 career starts in playing 42 career games.

Robinson, a native of Fresno, Calif. (Hoover HS), was tabbed the Aggies' Offensive MVP. He currently leads the NCAA with an 18.9 yards per punt return average. Robinson has one punt return for a TD, a 70-yarder against Nevada on Oct. 20. For his career, he had four punt returns for a TD.

He became the NCAA Career All-Purpose Yards Per Play record holder, with a 16.16 average on 6,479 career yards in 401 career plays.

Robinson also ranks ninth in the nation in kickoff return with a 29.3 ypr average and has three kick returns for TD, only one of two players in the country to do so. He also is the only player in the country with four combined returns (three kickoff and one punt).

With 2,317 all-purpose yards this season, Robinson ranks No. 2 on the single-season WAC all-purpose yards list, 274 yards shy of the record set by Fresno State's Bernard Berrian (2001) and passing football greats LaDainian Tomlinson of TCU with 2,198 yards in 2000 and Marshall Faulk of San Diego State with 2,174 yards in 1993, bumping them down to third and fourth, respectively. Robinson is just the ninth player in WAC history to top the 2,000 all-purpose yards mark.

 

Utah State won its last two games of the season, finishing with a 2-10 overall and 2-6 WAC ledger, matching the 2005 squad for best WAC record. The Aggies finished seventh in the league standings. Both of USU's wins this season were on the road, the most road wins since 2000 when the Aggies were 2-4 in away games. For the first time since 2003, Utah State won back-to-back conference games and the Aggies won consecutive games on the road for the first time since 1999.

 

The Aggies will return 18 starters (six offense, 10 defense, two special teams), after losing eight starters (five offense, one defense, two special teams) among 15 seniors this season.

More Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics Web site homepage.