In the Mountain West Conference, it was the Year of the Horned Frog.
So it came as no surprise that TCU nearly swept all the postseason football awards Tuesday.
The unbeaten, fourth-ranked Frogs, who are headed to their first Bowl Championship Series berth in January, received almost all of the league's individual honors.
Quarterback Andy Dalton was the offensive player of the year; defensive lineman Jerry Hughes was the defensive player of the year (for the second straight season); kick return specialist Jeremy Kerley was the special teams player of the year; and Gary Patterson, who reportedly has agreed to terms on a long-term contract extension this week, was the coach of the year.
Wyoming quarterback Austin Carta-Samuels, who led the Cowboys to their first bowl appearance since 2004, was the MWC's freshman of the year.
In all, 13 BYU players received recognition — with four selections on the all-conference first team and three on the second team.
"The members of our team recognized with all-conference awards are very deserving," BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "We have outstanding players who have helped us win 10 games this season, and I think that is reflected in the number of players receiving recognition for their contributions to our season."
Utah had 11 players honored, including six on the first-team and two more on the second team.
"I thought we had very good representation. We were pleased," Ute coach Kyle Whittingham said. "All of them are very deserving."
In all, TCU had nine first-team selections, matching the league-high of nine set by Colorado State in 2000.
The first-team offense included a trio of Cougars — running back Harvey Unga, tight end Dennis Pitta and offensive lineman Matt Reynolds. Running back Eddie Wide, wide receiver David Reed and offensive lineman Zane Beadles represented the Utes.
Pitta and Beadles were two of six players to repeat as members of the All-MWC first-team. Pitta and Hughes were unanimous selections for the second straight season. Reynolds is only the second sophomore to earn first-team offensive lineman honors in league history.
Wide was the second Utah running back selected to the first team in MWC history. (Mike Anderson was the first, in 1999.)
While Unga missed the season-opener against Oklahoma due to an injured hamstring, he still managed to run for 1,016 yards and become BYU's all-time leading rusher. Wide didn't have many carries before Matt Asiata's season-ending injury, but he finished with 1,032 yards.
"That was very impressive," Whittingham said.
Wide averaged 86 yards per game rushing, just behind Unga's league-leading 92.4 average.
The first-team defense featured three Utah players — defensive lineman Koa Misi, linebacker Stevenson Sylvester and defensive back Robert Johnson — and one BYU player, defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen.
Jorgensen, like Pitta, was a first-team honoree for the third consecutive year.
The second-team offense included BYU quarterback Max Hall and tight end Andrew George — the pair who connected for the game-winning touchdown pass in the Cougars' 26-23 victory over Utah — and Ute offensive linemen Zane Taylor and Caleb Schlauderaff. The second-team defense featured BYU's Andrew Rich.
Hall led the conference in passing, throwing for 3,368 yards, with 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. By comparison, Dalton threw for 2,484 yards with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Utah placekicker Joe Phillips, punter Sean Sellwood, defensive lineman Sealver Siliga and linebacker Mike Wright all received honorable mention. BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson, defensive lineman Brett Denney, safety Scott Johnson, cornerback Brian Logan, punter Riley Stephenson, and offensive lineman R.J. Willing were also among those who received honorable mention.
Contributing: Dirk Facer
E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com