8 Cowboys land All-MW Conference honors

LARAMIE -- Logan Wilson, Alijah Halliburton and Xazavian Valladay all earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors players Wednesday afternoon.

Austin Conway and Keegan Cryder were named to the second team, and Logan Harris, Tyler Hall and Cassh Maluia landed on the honorable-mention list.

Earning postseason conference accolades is nothing new for Wilson -- but landing on the first team is.

The Casper native has a very impressive resume though:

• Wilson is one of six national finalists for the 2019 Butkus Award, and is the only finalist from a non-autonomous five conference team.

• Wilson ranks No. 3 in the Mountain West and No. 23 in the nation in total interceptions, with four.

• He ranks No. 6 in the MW and No. 51 in the nation in total tackles, averaging 8.2 per game (98 total tackles).

• Wilson ranks No. 8 in the MW in passes defended, with 11 (4 interceptions and 7 pass breakups).

• He was named the Reese’s Senior Bowl Senior of the Week for his performance vs. Boise State, with 10 tackles, 1 interception and 1.0 sack.

• He also has 7.5 tackles for losses for 23 yards, 1.0 sack for 7 yards and 1 forced fumble for the 2019 season.

• Wilson intercepted a pass in three consecutive games – at Boise State, at Utah State and vs. Colorado State.  His fourth interception came earlier in the season against UNLV.

• He has had four double-figure tackle games this season, including: 13 vs. Missouri, 11 at Texas State, 11 vs. Idaho and 10 at Boise State.  He also had 8 tackles at Utah State, 8 vs. Nevada, 8 vs. Colorado State and 7 at San Diego State.

• His 98 tackles this season has moved him into the No. 4 spot in Mountain West history in career tackles with 414.

• He leads a Wyoming defense that ranks No. 2 in the Mountain West and No. 11 in the NCAA in Scoring Defense, allowing only 17.8 points per game.

• He also leads a Cowboy defense that ranks No. 2 in the MW and No. 9 in the country in rushing defense, allowing opponents only 99.4 yards rushing per game.

• He is leader of a Cowboy defense that ranks No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 11 in the nation in Red Zone Defense, allowing opponents to convert only 70.7 percent of their red-zone opportunities.

• Wilson earned All-MW honors for the third-straight season after being named Honorable Mention last season and Second Team All-MW in 2017. He was named the MW Freshman of Year in 2016 marking four straight season earning a postseason award from the conference. It is also the third-straight season Hall has earned Honorable Mention All-MW honors.

Not bad, huh?

Halliburton, the senior safety from Denver, is No. 11 in the country in tackles this season with 119. Six times he has finished with double-digit tackles in 2019.

Valladay was a bit of an unknown coming into this campaign. During his freshman season, the Chicago-area product had just 71 carries for 396 yards. This year, he was the back Craig Bohl and Co. leaned on from day one.

And he's done nothing but impress since.

Valladay has rushed the ball 221 times and racked up 1,061 yards and five touchdowns on the ground this season. He has added eight receptions for 120 yards and a score, too.

Conway earned his spot on the second team by being one of the top punt returners in the MWC during his senior season. The Denver native averages 11.1 yards per return, which is good enough for second in the league. His 344 total yards is tops in the conference.

Kryder, the Cowboys' "War Daddy Champion," finished the season with well over 100 knockdown blocks. The former Freshman All-American played in all 12 games for the Pokes at center. He has given up just one sack and committed one penalty.

This is the third time Hall has been named an honorable mention during his four-year career in Laramie. This fall he recorded 36 tackles, six pass breakups and a forced fumble. He also helped lead the Cowboys to their lone road victory of the season, picking off a pass at Texas State and returning it 72 yards for a touchdown.

Despite missing two games with a concussion he sustained in Tulsa, Harris was one of the toughest, most productive offensive linemen for Wyoming this season. He has allowed just .5 sacks this year, and has been a major reason the Cowboys are No. 2 in the MWC in rushing.

Remember when Maluia picked off Kelly Bryant in the end zone in the season opener against Missouri? Yeah, that was just the tip of the ice berg for the senior linebacker. Maluia finished his final campaign in Laramie with 57 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions.