All-Pac-12 Conference Football Team
WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--Quarterback Andrew Luck of STANFORD has been selected Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, linebacker Mychal Kendricks of CALIFORNIA the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year and David Shaw of STANFORD the Pac-12 Coach of the Year. In addition, wide receiver Marqise Lee of USC and running back De'Anthony Thomas of Oregon were named the Pac-12 Co-Offensive Freshmen of the Year, and linebacker Dion Bailey of USC has been named Pac-12 Defensive Freshmen of the Year. The award winners are selected by the Pac-12 head football coaches.
Offensive Player of the Year Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
Luck, a junior from Houston, Texas, becomes the fifth player to twice be named Offensive Player of the Year. He joins Reggie Bush (USC, 2004-05), Ruben Mayes (WSU, 1984-85), John Elway (STAN, 1980, 82) and Charles White (USC, 1978-79). Luck has completed 261 of 373 passes for 3,170 yards and 35 touchdowns this season. In the regular season finale against Notre Dame, Luck broke the Stanford career record held by John Elway (77) and his own single-season record for touchdowns (32), bringing his career total to 80 and his season total to 35. Luck also holds the Stanford record for total offense with 10,218 yards. He leads the Pac-12 and ranks fifth in the NCAA with a 167.5 passing efficiency. Under Luck's leadership, the Cardinal averaged 43.6 points per game, scoring 30 or more points in 11 of 12 games, and averaged 480.9 yards in total offense. The Cardinal are 31-6 in Luck's 37 career starts.
Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year Mychal Kendricks, LB, California
Kendricks, a senior from Fresno, Calif., leads the Golden Bears and ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with 8.0 tackles per game (96 total). He is also tied for third in the Conference with 13 tackles for loss. Kendricks has played a key role on a Cal defense that ranks 27th nationally in total defense, holding opponents to 339.42 yards per game, and has amassed 2.67 sacks per game to rank seventh. Kendricks has recorded three sacks for 30 yards this season. He is Cal's active career leader in several defensive categories including tackles (248), tackles for loss (35) and sacks (13.5). California's defense held seven opponents to 15 or fewer points this season.
Freshman Offensive Co-Players of the Year Marqise Lee, WR, USC and De'Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon
Lee, a true freshman from Inglewood, Calif., has already proved to be one of the biggest offensive threats in the Pac-12 with 73 catches for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first season. He ranks fifth in the Pac-12 with 6.1 receptions per game and 95.2 receiving yards per game. Lee earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after recording 325 all-purpose yards, including a career high 187 receiving yards, in USC's win over Oregon.
Thomas, a true freshman from Los Angeles, Calif., has 1,908 all-purpose yards to rank fifth on the single-season list at Oregon. He holds the Duck freshman record with 16 touchdowns and is one shy of the record by a first-year player set by LeGarrette Blount in 2008. Thomas has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season, a 93-yard return against Washington State and a 96-yard score against USC. His 96-yard effort is tied for seventh-longest in Oregon history.
Freshman Defensive Player of the Year Dion Bailey, LB, USC
Bailey, a redshirt freshman from Lakewood, Calif., was a standout member of the Trojans defense and tied for the team lead with 81 tackles on the season. He averaged 7.4 tackles per game to rank sixth in the Pac-12. Bailey had two sacks, two interceptions and one forced fumble. He had a career-high 14 tackles against Arizona, the most by a USC freshman since Chris Claiborne's 20 in 1996.
Coach of the Year David Shaw, Stanford
In his first season at the helm of the Stanford program, Shaw has led the Cardinal to a second-straight 11-1 regular season record, its first back-to-back 10-win seasons in program history. It is just the fifth 10-win season overall. Shaw has continued Stanford's recent success as the squad has been ranked in the top-10 of the AP poll for 21 straight weeks. Stanford ranks fifth nationally in scoring offense (43.58 points per game) and 10th in total offense (480.92 yards per game). The Cardinal also ranks among the best in several defensive categories including fifth in rushing defense (90.33 yards per game) and 24th in total defense (331.42 yards per game). Several of Shaw's athletes are finalists for national awards including Luck (Maxwell and O'Brien Awards) and offensive guard David DeCastro (Outland Trophy).
In addition to individual awards, the Pac-12 coaches selected the 2011 All-Pac-12 Football Team that follows.
| All-Pac-12 Conference Football Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | First Team Offense | Pos. | Second Team Offense |
| QB | Andrew Luck, Jr., Stanford (2) | QB | Matt Barkley, Jr., USC |
| RB | LaMichael James, Jr., Oregon (2) | RB | Stepfan Taylor, Jr., Stanford |
| RB | Chris Polk, Jr., Washington | RB | John White IV, Jr., Utah |
| WR | Keenan Allen, So., California | WR | Marqise Lee, Fr., USC |
| WR | Robert Woods, So., USC | WR | Marquess Wilson, So., Washington State |
| TE | Coby Fleener, Sr., Stanford | TE | David Paulson, Sr., Oregon |
| OL | Tony Bergstrom, Sr., Utah | OL | David Bakhtiari, So., Colorado |
| OL | David DeCastro, Jr., Stanford (2) | OL | John Cullen, Sr., Utah |
| OL | Matt Kalil, Jr., USC | OL | Garth Gerhart, Sr., Arizona State |
| OL | Jonathan Martin, Jr., Stanford (2) | OL | Khaled Holmes, Jr., USC |
| OL | Mitchell Schwartz, Sr., California | OL | Senio Kelemete, Sr., Washington |
| Pos. | First Team Defense | Pos. | Second Team Defense |
| DL | Dion Jordan, Jr., Oregon | DL | Ben Gardner, So., Stanford |
| DL | Star Lotulelei, Jr., Utah | DL | Trevor Guyton, Sr., California |
| DL | Nick Perry, Jr., USC | DL | Wes Horton, Jr., USC |
| DL | Derrick Shelby, Sr., Utah | DL | Travis Long, Jr., Washington State |
| LB | Josh Kaddu, Sr., Oregon | LB | Dion Bailey, Fr., USC |
| LB | Mychal Kendricks, Sr., California | LB | Cort Dennison, Sr., Washington |
| LB | Chase Thomas, Jr., Stanford | LB | Alex Hoffman-Ellis, Sr., Washington State |
| DB | Delano Howell, Sr., Stanford | DB | John Boyett, Jr., Oregon |
| DB | T.J. McDonald, Jr., USC | DB | Clint Floyd, Sr., Arizona State |
| DB | Eddie Pleasant, Sr., Oregon | DB | Jordan Poyer, Jr., Oregon State |
| DB | Nickell Robey, So., USC | DB | Trevin Wade, Sr., Arizona |
| Pos. | First Team Specialists | Pos. | Second Team Specialists |
| PK | Andre Heidari, Fr., USC | PK | Jordan Williamson, Fr., Stanford |
| P | Bryan Anger, Sr., California (3) | P | Jackson Rice, Jr., Oregon |
| RS | De'Anthony Thomas, Fr., Oregon | RS | Jamal Miles, Jr., Arizona State |
| ST | Rhett Ellison, Sr., USC | ST | Derrick Coleman, Sr., UCLA |
NOTES ON THE 2011 ALL-PAC-12 FOOTBALL TEAM
Selection Procedures: The All-Pac-12 Team is selected by the Pac-12 head football coaches.
By School: USC placed the most players on the first team with seven selections, followed by STANFORD with six and OREGON with five.
By Class: Of the 26 first-team selections, 10 are seniors, 11 are juniors, three are sophomores and two freshmen.
Unanimous: Only one player was named on the first-team ballot of all 12 head coaches--WR Robert Woods of USC.
Three-time Selection: P Bryan Anger of California is a three-time selection, the fourth ever for a California player.
Two-time Selections: Four players are repeat first-team selections from last year--QB Andrew Luck of Stanford, RB LaMichael James of Oregon, OL David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin of Stanford.
All-Academic: Four players were named to the first team on both the All-Pac-12 Team and the Pac-12 All-Academic Football Team--QB Andrew Luck of Stanford, OL Mitchell Schwartz of California, and DL Derrick Shelby of Utah. In addition, TE David Paulson of Oregon was named first-team All-Academic and second-team All-Pac-12.
ALL-PAC-12 HONORABLE MENTION
ARIZONA: PK John Bonano, Jr.; DB Tra'Mayne Bondurant, Fr.; WR Juron Criner, Sr.; QB Nick Foles, Sr.; C Kyle Quinn, Jr.;
ARIZONA STATE: DL Jamaar Jarrett, Sr.; OL Dan Knapp, Sr.; RB Cameron Marshall, Jr.; DL Bo Moos, Sr.; LB Colin Parker, Sr.; WR Gerrell Robinson, Sr.;
CALIFORNIA: DB D.J. Campbell, Sr.; DB Sean Cattouse, Sr.; OL Justin Cheadle, Sr.; LB D.J. Holt, Sr.; WR Marvin Jones, Sr.; TE Anthony Miller, Sr.; RB Isi Sofele, Jr.; OL Matt Summers-Gavin, Jr.; PK Giorgio Tavecchio, Sr.; DL Aaron Tipoti, Jr.;
COLORADO: OL Ethan Adkins, Sr.; DL Josh Hartigan, Sr.; DB Greg Henderson, Fr.; DL Will Pericak, Jr.; LB Doug Rippy, Jr.;
OREGON: OL Mark Asper, Sr.; DL Taylor Hart, So.; LB Dewitt Stuckey, Sr.; DE Terrell Turner, Sr.;
OREGON STATE: DL Scott Crichton, Fr.; P Johnny Hekker, Sr.; OL Grant Johnson, Sr.; DB Lance Mitchell, Sr.; WR Markus Wheaton, Jr.;
STANFORD: ST Max Bergen, Sr.; OL Cameron Fleming, Fr.; RB Ryan Hewitt, So.; DL Matthew Masifilo, Sr.; ST Ty Montgomery, Fr.; RS Drew Terrell, Jr.; DB Michael Thomas, Sr.; TE Levine Toilolo, So.; OL David Yankey, Fr.;
UCLA: DB Andrew Abbott, Jr.; RB Johnathan Franklin, Jr.; OL Kai Maiava, Sr.; WR Nelson Rosario, Sr.;
USC: RB Curtis McNeal, Jr.; LB Hayes Pullard, Fr.; TE Randall Telfer, Fr.; DL Christian Tupou, Sr.;
UTAH: ST Greg Bird, Sr.; DB Conroy Black, Sr.; LB Brian Blechen, So.; DB Ryan Lacy, Jr.; PK Coleman Petersen, Jr.; LB Chaz Walker, Sr.;
WASHINGTON: WR Devin Aguilar, Sr.; TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Fr.; WR Jermaine Kearse, Sr.; QB Keith Price, So.; DL Alameda Ta'amu, Sr.; DB Desmond Trufant, Jr.;
WASHINGTON STATE: OL John Fullington, So.; OL David Gonzalez, Sr.; OL B.J. Guerra, Sr.; DB Damante Horton, So.; WR Jared Karstetter, Sr.; DL Brandon Rankin, Sr.