Breann Lujan-Halcon
@blujanha
When four Wyoming Cowboys were named to the All-Mountain West Conference team following a 2-10 season, we Cowboy fans were proud.
Senior defensive end Eddie Yarbrough made the honor for the third time of his Cowboy career, junior offensive lineman Chase Roullier and freshman free safety Andrew Wingard also both made the second team. When standout sophomore running back Brian Hill was snubbed to the second team following a record-breaking season, we Cowboy fans took offense, shots have been fired.
The All-Mountain West Conference first team featured two running backs, both who rank beneath Hill in the FBS I-A national player rushing leaderboard.
Conference champions, the San Diego State Aztecs, finished the regular season 8-0. It was expected to see Aztec players splattered with postseason accolades. Aztec junior running back Donnel Pumphrey, named first team, had 16 touchdowns for the Aztecs. He was a staple in San Diego’s run game, but placed up against Brian Hill, statistics tell a different story.
Stacked head-to-head Hill surpasses Pumphrey in rushing yards 1631 yards to 1554 and edges out his average yards per carry 5.8 to 5.5.
Arguments can be made that Pumphrey’s impact to the Aztec offense outweighs the difference in season statistics but there is no denying Pumphrey is a Mountain West favorite. Pumphrey was projected to All-Mountain West Conference first team in the preseason and the Aztecs taking the conference by storm only boosted his ratings.
The Cowboys on the other hand, have no favoritism. We have embraced the role as the underdog. Which is why when one of our own breaks a single-season rushing record, when he is named as a semi-finalist for the Doak Walker Award, when he gets over 200 yards rushing in four games, we expect credit to be given where credit is due. Second team does not do Hill justice.
Hill leads the division in rushing, but there are two MW running backs that are better than him? Where? Not in San Jose State (4-4). Spartan senior running back Tyler Ervin named first team ranks even lower than Pumphrey in yards and average yards per carry. Hill has 162 yards more than Ervin and I would go as far as to argue that Hill’s impact on Wyoming’s depth chart blows Ervin out of the water.
“Our strength coach will tell you he’s the hardest working guy in the weight room,” Wyoming running backs coach Mike Bath told Bellville News. “If we didn’t struggle up front this year he’s probably pushing 2,000 yards.”
Since when does being number one rank you third? In the All-Mountain West Conference team, I guess. Cowboy fans know better. We watched his 242-yard game versus Eastern Michigan. We cheered on his 208 yards at Appalachian State. We rallied behind his 201 yards at Utah State. When he brought home the final win of the season and broke Wyoming’s rushing record with 232 yards, including a 72-yard carry, we knew he was number one.
Wyoming may have finished among the bottom but there is no doubt Brian Hill finished at the top.
