Conant named Mountain West Special Teams POY
12/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Air Force senior kicker Will Conant was named Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, according to an announcement today by the conference office. Conant was also named first-team all-MW place kicker. Joining Conant as a first-team honoree were senior offensive lineman Michael Husar, Jr. and sophomore safety Weston Steelhammer.
Air Force had two second-team honorees in junior defensive lineman Alex Hansen and senior inside linebacker Jordan Pierce. Sophomore running back Jacobi Owens, sophomore wide receiver Jalen Robinette and junior offensive lineman Andrew Ruechel were all named honorable mention all-MW. Conant was an honorable mention honoree as a punter.
Conant is the first player of the year award winner at Air Force since Chad Hall was named offensive player of the year in 2007. He is just the second player to earn special teams player of the year honors and first since Chris MacInnis in 1993. Conant is the just the fifth kicker in the conference to earn the honor and first since 2008.
Conant has hit 18 of 20 field goals, including 17 straight from 60 yards or less, and all 42 extra points this year. He leads the conference in field goal percentage at 90 percent which is 10th in the nation. Conant also leads the conference in field goals per game at 1.50 and is tied for first in extra point percentage at 1.000. A Lou Groza Award semifinalist, Conant has twice won the conference special teams player of the week this season. Conant also ranked second in the conference in punting with a 43.8 average with 13 punts of 50 yards or more and 18 downed inside the 20.
Husar has been a mainstay on the offensive line this season. He moved from center to guard to help the line midway through the season. A Rimington Award nominee as the nation's top center, Husar has helped the Falcons become one of the conference's most prolific offenses. Air Force is fourth in the conference in scoring (30.9), second in rushing (272.2) and third in total offense (423.5).
Steelhammer has made one big play after another this season. He leads the team and ranks third in the conference and ninth nationally in interceptions with six, a .50 per-game average. His six interceptions tie as the fifth-most in school history and are the most since Anthony Wright had seven in 2009. Steelhammer is fifth on team in total tackles with 51 and has 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. He also has two fumbles recoveries and a safety. He also tied a school record with three interceptions against Boise State.
Hansen is fourth on the team in total tackles with 53, second with 10.0 tackles for loss and third in sacks with 3.5. He had a streak of 10 consecutive games with a tackle for loss earlier this season and also had three pass breakups and a blocked extra point.
Pierce leads the Falcons in tackles with 107, tackles for loss with 16.5 and sacks with 5.0. He also has two interceptions, a pass breakup and a blocked kick. Pierce ranks sixth in the conference in tackles with an 8.9 average. He is tied for second in tackles for loss with a 1.38 norm and is ninth in sacks with a .42 per-game average.
Owens finished the year ranked fourth in the conference in rushing with a 105.4 per-game average, despite missing the last two games due to injury. He is the just the third sophomore in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Robinette leads Air Force in receiving with 41 catches for 763 yards. He ranked fifth in the conference in receiving with a 63.6 average. Ruechel has started every game this season, showing versatility by playing both guard and tackle.
Air Force finished the regular season with a 9-3 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the Mountain Division. The Falcons are tied with TCU for the best turnaround in the nation with a school-record seven-game improvement from last season. Air Force has reached the nine-win mark for the third time under head coach Troy Calhoun. Air Force will finish out the season in a bowl game, which is yet to be announced.
