Thirteen Griz named to Phil Steele Magazine’s All-Big Sky Team
1/7/2020 4:05:00 PM | Football
Phil Steele Football Magazine named Dante Olson its 2019 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year for a second-straight season and 13 Grizzlies earned all-conference honors, the venerable sports publication announced Tuesday.
A top-three finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, Olson repeated as Phil Steele's conference Player of the Year following a record-breaking senior season where he posted the second-most tackles of any college football player, at any level, with an FCS-best 179 total stops. He also broke his own school record for single-season tackles (151 set as a junior) to finish his career as Montana's all-time leading tackler with 397 stops, breaking Vince Huntsberger's school record in just two years as a starter.
Olson will find out if he is to become Montana's third Buchanan Award winner in program history this Friday in Frisco, Texas, at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet.
Montana led the league with eight first-team selections, including receiver Samori Toure and center Cy Sirmon on offense. Olson, Jace Lewis, and Robby Hauck landed on the defensive first team, and returners Malik Flowers and Jerry Louie-McGee with long snapper Matthew O'Donoghue were named special teams first-team.
Toure set a new school record with 1,495 yards in his junior year to earn first-team honors. He also etched his name in the FCS record books, breaking Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss' 1996 record for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 303 against Southeastern Louisiana.
Lewis and Hauck were Montana's second and third-leading tacklers, respectively, totaling a combined 260 stops between them.
Louie-McGee finished his career tied with Marc Mariani and Levander Seagers for the most punt return touchdowns in program history (three), and No. 6 among UM's all-time leaders in punt return yards per game. He also shattered Montana's all-time pass reception record with 230 in his illustrious career.
Flowers also broke school records in the kick return game, running back two kickoffs for touchdowns, including the longest in modern Griz history – a full 100-yards for a score against North Alabama. He ran his second kick back for a touchdown of the season in the second round of the FCS playoffs against Southeastern Louisiana.
With the two returns, the Fontana, Calif., native set a new school record for most kick return yards in a season at 879, passing Jabin Sambrano's 2011 total of 836 yards.
O'Donoghue picked up his second first-team All-America accolade of his career as well, having earned STATS FCS All-America honors in mid-December.
Receiver Samuel Akem and safety Josh Sandry landed on the second team, while defensive tackle Jesse Sims, running back Marcus Knight, and offensive tackle Conlan Beaver earned third-team honors.
Knight also etched his name in the Grizzly record books with 1,030 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns for 150 points – the second-most in all of D-I football behind Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor. The sophomore broke a pair of UM scoring records set by Chase Reynolds in 2008 and 2009. Akem finished the year with 848 receiving yards despite missing the final four games to injury. Sims capped his senior year as UM's sixth-leading tackler with 53 stops.
Phil Steele Magazine will announce its FCS All-America Teams following the FCS Championship Game this Saturday, Jan. 11.
Phil Steele Magazine 2019 All-Big Sky Team
First Team
Offense
WR – Samori Toure, Jr.
OL – Cy Sirmon, Sr.
Defense
LB – Dante Olson, Sr.
LB – Jace Lewis, Jr.
DB – Robby Hauck, So.
Special Teams
KR – Malik Flowers, So.
PR – Jerry Louie-McGee, Sr.
LS – Matthew O'Donoghue, Jr.
Second Team
Offense
WR – Samuel Akem, Jr.
Defense
DB – Josh Sandry, Sr.
Third Team
Offense
RB – Marcus Knight, So.
OL – Conlan Beaver, Jr.
Defense
Jesse Sims – DL, Sr.
2019 BIG SKY OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: QB Kevin Thomson, Sacramento St, Jr.
2019 BIG SKY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: LB Dante Olson, Montana, Sr.
2019 BIG SKY FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: LB Nick Eaton, UC Davis
2019 BIG SKY OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: C Zach Larsen, Southern Utah, Sr.
2019 BIG SKY SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: P DJ Arnson, Northern Arizona, Jr.
2019 BIG SKY COACH OF THE YEAR: Troy Taylor, Sacramento St
A top-three finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, Olson repeated as Phil Steele's conference Player of the Year following a record-breaking senior season where he posted the second-most tackles of any college football player, at any level, with an FCS-best 179 total stops. He also broke his own school record for single-season tackles (151 set as a junior) to finish his career as Montana's all-time leading tackler with 397 stops, breaking Vince Huntsberger's school record in just two years as a starter.
Olson will find out if he is to become Montana's third Buchanan Award winner in program history this Friday in Frisco, Texas, at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet.
Montana led the league with eight first-team selections, including receiver Samori Toure and center Cy Sirmon on offense. Olson, Jace Lewis, and Robby Hauck landed on the defensive first team, and returners Malik Flowers and Jerry Louie-McGee with long snapper Matthew O'Donoghue were named special teams first-team.
Toure set a new school record with 1,495 yards in his junior year to earn first-team honors. He also etched his name in the FCS record books, breaking Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss' 1996 record for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 303 against Southeastern Louisiana.
Lewis and Hauck were Montana's second and third-leading tacklers, respectively, totaling a combined 260 stops between them.
Louie-McGee finished his career tied with Marc Mariani and Levander Seagers for the most punt return touchdowns in program history (three), and No. 6 among UM's all-time leaders in punt return yards per game. He also shattered Montana's all-time pass reception record with 230 in his illustrious career.
Flowers also broke school records in the kick return game, running back two kickoffs for touchdowns, including the longest in modern Griz history – a full 100-yards for a score against North Alabama. He ran his second kick back for a touchdown of the season in the second round of the FCS playoffs against Southeastern Louisiana.
With the two returns, the Fontana, Calif., native set a new school record for most kick return yards in a season at 879, passing Jabin Sambrano's 2011 total of 836 yards.
O'Donoghue picked up his second first-team All-America accolade of his career as well, having earned STATS FCS All-America honors in mid-December.
Receiver Samuel Akem and safety Josh Sandry landed on the second team, while defensive tackle Jesse Sims, running back Marcus Knight, and offensive tackle Conlan Beaver earned third-team honors.
Knight also etched his name in the Grizzly record books with 1,030 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns for 150 points – the second-most in all of D-I football behind Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor. The sophomore broke a pair of UM scoring records set by Chase Reynolds in 2008 and 2009. Akem finished the year with 848 receiving yards despite missing the final four games to injury. Sims capped his senior year as UM's sixth-leading tackler with 53 stops.
Phil Steele Magazine will announce its FCS All-America Teams following the FCS Championship Game this Saturday, Jan. 11.
Phil Steele Magazine 2019 All-Big Sky Team
First Team
Offense
WR – Samori Toure, Jr.
OL – Cy Sirmon, Sr.
Defense
LB – Dante Olson, Sr.
LB – Jace Lewis, Jr.
DB – Robby Hauck, So.
Special Teams
KR – Malik Flowers, So.
PR – Jerry Louie-McGee, Sr.
LS – Matthew O'Donoghue, Jr.
Second Team
Offense
WR – Samuel Akem, Jr.
Defense
DB – Josh Sandry, Sr.
Third Team
Offense
RB – Marcus Knight, So.
OL – Conlan Beaver, Jr.
Defense
Jesse Sims – DL, Sr.
2019 BIG SKY OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: QB Kevin Thomson, Sacramento St, Jr.
2019 BIG SKY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: LB Dante Olson, Montana, Sr.
2019 BIG SKY FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: LB Nick Eaton, UC Davis
2019 BIG SKY OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: C Zach Larsen, Southern Utah, Sr.
2019 BIG SKY SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: P DJ Arnson, Northern Arizona, Jr.
2019 BIG SKY COACH OF THE YEAR: Troy Taylor, Sacramento St
Players Mentioned
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