Paulson, Jefferson lead Air Force all-MWC selections
12/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 3, 2008
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Air Force senior defensive end Jake Paulson and freshman quarterback Tim Jefferson led the Air Force all-conference selections as announced today by the Mountain West Conference. Paulson was named first-team all-MWC, becoming the first defensive lineman to ever earn first team honors, while Jefferson was named freshman of the year, the first player ever honored in the school's history for any conference.
Junior offensive lineman Nick Charles, senior place kicker Ryan Harrison and junior safety Chris Thomas were named to the second team. Junior offensive lineman Chris Campbell, senior center Andrew Pipes, sophomore returner Reggie Rembert, junior linebacker Ken Lamendola and senior outside linebacker Hunter Altman were all named honorable mention all-conference.
Paulson is one of 33 players named to the mid-season watch list for the Hendricks Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive lineman. Paulson led the Falcons and ranked second in the conference with 8.5 sacks. He was also third in the conference in tackles for loss with 14.0 for 67 yards. He finished the regular season with 51 total tackles and had two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. Paulson also notched a safety vs. Southern Utah and scored his first-career touchdown on a fumble return against Utah which is the first touchdown by an Air Force defensive lineman since Bryce Fisher in 1997.
Jefferson recorded a 5-2 record as the starting quarterback after taking over in the sixth game of the season. Just the fourth freshman starting quarterback in school history, Jefferson rushed for 373 yards and hit 37 of 66 passes for a team-best 557 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. His 142.86 quarterback efficiency rating is the eighth best in school history. He was named MWC offensive player of the week earlier this season vs. UNLV after rushing for a career-best 99 yards and hitting of seven passes for 162 yards and the first two touchdown passes of his career.
Charles led the Falcons' offensive line with with 16.4 knockdowns per game while the line paved the way for the nation's sixth-rated rushing offense with a 268-yard average. Harrison set a school record with 22 field goals this season and was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award as the nation's top place kicker. Thomas was one of the league's top play makers on defense, ranking among the lead leaders in sacks and fumble recoveries. He was second on the team in total tackles with 91.
Air Force finished the season 8-4 overall and finished fourth in the MWC with a 5-3 mark. The team has qualified for a bowl game and is awaiting where and who it will play in the post season.
