Vandals receive fifteen all-conference awards

MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho football players earned fifteen All-Big Sky honors, including seven first-team honorees, two second-team honorees and six who received honorable mention. Teams are voted on by the Big Sky Conference head coaches.

Junior offensive tackle Ayden KnapikSenior defensive end Keyshawn James NewbySecond-year defensive tackle Dallas AfalavaSophomore linebacker Jaxton EckSenior defensive back Tommy McCormickSecond-year cornerback Andrew Marshall and sophomore defensive back and special teams player Dwayne McDougle all received first team honors.

Sophomore recipient Jordan Dwyer and senior tight end Mike Martínez earned second-team recognition as a freshman receiver Mark HamperJunior offensive player Nate AzzopardiJunior defensive end Malakai WilliamsJunior linebacker Isiah KingFreshman linebacker Zach Johnson All received honorable mention, meaning they received at least three votes from across the league. To his honors as a first-team defensive back, Marshall added honorable mention as a kick returner.

Idaho’s 15 awards are the second-most of any team, behind undefeated Big Sky champion Montana State.

Knapik is the anchor of the left side of Idaho’s offensive line, which has seen significant improvements this season compared to last season. Idaho’s offense is averaging more yards per game than last season, despite a host of injuries in the running back room. The Vandals are giving up almost one fewer sacks per game (1.58 compared to 2.46 SPG) than last season.

The Vandals’ most dominant unit is the defensive line led by James-Newby. He leads the Big Sky Conference with 9.0 sacks so far this season despite missing most of the Weber State game, much of the Albany game and the entire Idaho State game. He had 2.5 sacks against Oregon and 3.0 sacks against Wyoming. James-Newby is a finalist for the FCS Defensive Player of the Year, the Buck Buchanan Award.

The other first team player on the defensive line is Dallas AfalavaThe true sophomore was key in stopping the Vandal run while also targeting the quarterback. He has five sacks, seven tackles for loss and eight QB hurries. The Vandals are the top sack team in the Big Sky.

Eck earned All-Big Sky honors at linebacker, where he led the Vandals with 110 total tackles this season. He had double-digit tackles in the last four games, including a career-best 15 tackles against Idaho State.

McCormick is Idaho’s second-leading tackler with 97 total tackles this season, but he also has three interceptions and a team-high four pass breakups. His leadership skills and great playing ability have shone again and again, such as during an important goal stop in Wyoming.

Marshall excelled on defense and special teams. He has 42 total tackles with three pass breakups this season. He has slowed down some of the best receivers in the Big Sky. He is the only cornerback on the first-team roster. In the return game, he is one of the few players to have managed a punt return touchdown and a kick return touchdown this season. He received honorable mention as a kick returner.

McDougle entered the starting lineup at safety midway through the season, but was a dominant player on special teams all season. He has 51 total tackles this year.

Recipient Jordan Dwyer earned second-team honors as a receiver but has first-team stats. He has 60 catches for 837 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns this season. He did all of this while intercepting passes from three different starting quarterbacks due to injuries.

Mike Martínez is the only senior on the offensive side of the ball, he was a dominant blocker at the tight end position while also being a productive pass catcher, especially in the red zone. He caught nine passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.

Hamper is one of the Big Sky’s top deep threats, averaging 20.93 yards per catch. He has 41 catches for 858 yards and five touchdowns this year.

Junior captain Azzopardi hasn’t allowed a sack all year and is the vocal leader of not just the offensive line, but the entire Idaho team.

Junior captain Williams has 5.5 sacks and 31 total tackles. He three has QB rush.

King has 42 total tackles with one interception and 2.5 TFLs this season.

Johnson completes the honorable mention. The redshirt freshman has 76 total tackles, 4.5 TFLs and one sack so far this season.

The Vandals finished the regular season with a 9-3 record and secured eighth place and a bye in the first round of the FCS Championship. The Vandals will face the winner of ninth-seeded Richmond and Lehigh on Saturday, December 7 at 6 p.m

Tickets are available at govandals.com/tickets.