RENO — With two first-team selections for the first time since 2013, the Nevada football team landed eight players on the All-Mountain West football teams, announced earlier today by the conference.
Senior offensive lineman Austin Corbett and junior defensive linemen Malik Reed were named to the All-Mountain West first team.
The Wolf Pack landed a pair of second-team honorees in wide receiver Wyatt Demps and defensive back Dameon Baber.
Nevada had four players earn honorable mention in junior quarterback Ty Gangi, junior offensive lineman Sean Krepsz, senior linebacker Austin Paulhus and junior defensive back Asauni Rufus.
Corbett was dominant in his senior season with the Wolf Pack, anchoring one of the best offensive line units in the conference.
The Pack allowed just 16 sacks despite a league-high 451 passing attempts this season. He was also selected the team's Basalite Big Blocker of the year earlier this week. He finishes his Nevada career as a three-time All-MW honoree.
Reed led the Mountain West with eight sacks on the year and was eighth overall in with 10.0 tackles for loss. He was a second-team All-MW selection last year.
Demps had one of the finest seasons by a Pack receiver in recent memory, leading the conference with 11 receiving touchdowns and finishing second in receptions with 67.
Baber had a historic game against San Jose state with three interceptions and he became just the third player in NCAA history to have three runbacks for a touchdown in the same game as he returned two of the interceptions for scores and also returned a blocked punt for a score. He was tied for fifth in interceptions and top-15 in tackles per game.
Gangi started 10 games at quarterback and finished second in the league in passing at 274.6 yards per game and second in total offense at 292.6 yards per game. His final numbers were 228-of-374 with 25 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He also rushed for four scores.
Krepsz shifted inside to the center position this year and was flawless as the Wolf Pack produced one of the top offensive lines in the nation.
Paulhus recorded 112 tackles on the season from his linebacker spot – the second-most by a Wolf Pack player in the last 20 seasons.
Rufus suffered a season-ending leg injury on Nov. 4 against Boise State but was still one of the top safeties in the league. Despite missing the final three games, he was still third on the team with 75 tackles, included 5.5 for loss.
Nevada returns five of its eight All-Mountain West players next year. Overall, Nevada returns 17 of 22 for Jay Norvell's second season in 2018.
The eight overall selections is the third most for Nevada since joining the Mountain West in 2012. The voting was done by the league's head coaches and a selected panel of media members who cover the league's 12 teams.
San Diego State senior running back Rashaad Penny is being honored as both the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year.
This is the first time in MW history that a player has won two major postseason awards in the same season.
