Keenan Allen named offensive MVP
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OAKLAND -- Keenan Allen was named California's 2011 team MVP on the offensive side of the ball, while D.J. Holt and Mychal Kendricks shared defensive MVP honors to highlight the 2011 team awards announced at the Cal football banquet held Sunday evening at the Colombo Club. A total of 23 different players accounted for the 37 honors presented by the team's coaches and support staff.
Much of the damage inflicted by the team's offense in 2011 was done by Allen, a first-team All-Pac-12 and third-team midseason All-American choice as well as a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist. Allen is second in the conference in receptions (7.42) and third in receiving yards (105.08) per game, as well as tied for 12th and 12th nationally in those categories. He is also second on the Bears' all-time single-season lists in both receptions (89) and receiving yards (1,261), respectively. He has added a team-high six touchdown catches that is only one outside of the school's all-time top-10 single seasons. In addition, Allen has a team-high 1,340 all-purpose yards and an average of 111.67 per game that is 11th in the Pac-12. During the 2011 season, Allen equaled DeSean Jackson as the fastest Cal player to reach both 1,000 receiving yards (16th game) and 100 receptions (18th game) in his career. He has 135 receptions and 1,751 receiving yards in his first 23 games at Cal, both just outside the school's top 10, with at least one catch in all 23. His 11 receiving touchdowns already rank tied for eighth all-time at Cal.
Kendricks, the Pac-12's Defensive Player of the Year, has per-game averages that are fourth in the Pac-12 in tackles (8.00) and tied for third in tackles for loss (1.08), while leading the team in both categories with totals of a career-high 96 tackles and 13.0 tackles for loss (team-high -56 yards). He also co-leads the squad with a pair of interceptions that he has returned for a team-high 62 yards, while adding 3.0 sacks (team-high -30 yards), two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries that he has returned for a team-high 33 yards. Kendricks posted four double-digit tackle games in 2011, including a career-high-tying and team season-high 15 stops at Washington. He also had 13 tackles at Stanford along with a season-high-tying 2.5 tackles for loss (career-high -18 yards) and his first full sack of the season when he dropped Heisman Trophy candidate Andrew Luck for a 14-yard loss. Kendricks was a fourth-team midseason All-American and first-team midseason All-Pac-12 choice according to Phil Steele.
Kendricks is the Bears' active career leader in tackles (248), tackles for loss (35.0, -141 yards), sacks (13.5, -98 yards) and fumble recoveries (7). He has added four interceptions that he has returned for 130 yards and a touchdown, a forced fumble, five pass breakups and one blocked kick that he returned for 26 yards. He has played in all 50 games possible over the past four seasons with 28 starts.
Kendricks is the seventh Cal player to earn Pac-10/12 Player of the Year honors. Previous selections include Chuck Muncie (1975), Ron Rivera (1983, Co-Defensive), Mike Pawlawski (1991, Co-Offensive), Deltha O'Neal (1999, Defensive), Daymeion Hughes (2006, Defensive) and Marshawn Lynch (2006, Offensive).
Holt is second on the squad for the second consecutive years with his 81 tackles while adding 10.5 tackles for loss (-40 yards) that are also second on the 2011 club. His per-game averages of .88 tackles for loss and 6.75 tackles rank eighth and tied for 10th in the Pac-12, respectively. Holt has also added 2.0 sacks (-13 yards), two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries while starting all 12 games. He was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 choice. For his career, Holt is tied for first among active Cal players in forced fumbles (3) and second in tackles (217). He has also added 20.5 tackles for loss (-66 yards), 4.0 sacks (-26 yards), two fumble recoveries and eight pass breakups.
Kendricks and Holt both added a second team honor, with Kendricks taking the Berkeley Breakfast Club Award for the Outstanding Player in the Big Game on the defensive side of the ball and Holt picking up one of the team's two Cort Majors Captains Awards on defense.
Trevor Guyton was the only player to garner three team awards, earning the Joe Roth Award given to the player best exemplifying courage, attitude and sportsmanship, in addition to the Brick Muller Award as the top lineman on defense and being selected on the defensive side of the ball for a Cort Majors Captains Award.
Guyton earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors while co-leading Cal with 4.5 sacks (-23 yards) and ranking third on the club with his 10.0 tackles for loss (-36 yards), with his per-game averages of .83 tackles for loss and .38 sacks checking in tied for ninth and tied for 15th in the conference. He also co-leads the squad in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries with two each, with his .17 fumble recoveries per game tied for sixth in the Pac-12. Guyton's 42 tackles are first among Cal's defensive linemen and sixth on the team overall. For his career, Guyton has equaled Holt's three forced fumbles for the most of any active Cal player. He also has 91 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss (-91 yards), 10.0 sacks (-66 yards) and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned 19 yards for a touchdown against Fresno State in the 2011 season opener.
A total of 11 players including Kendricks and Holt won two awards each, with the others being D.J. Campbell, Sean Cattouse, Justin Cheadle, Marvin Jones, Will Kapp, Daniel Lasco, Mitchell Schwartz, Isi Sofele and Aaron Tipoti. All but Kapp, Lasco and Schwartz were honorable mention All-Pac-12 selections, with Schwartz a first-team all-conference choice.
Campbell was the team's Most Improved Player as well as the Most Valuable Back on the defensive side of the ball. He ranks fourth on the team with a career-high 63 tackles and shared the squad's lead in both interceptions and fumble recoveries with two each, with his .17 fumble recoveries per game tied for sixth in the Pac-12. He has career totals of 102 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss (-24 yards), 2.0 sacks (-17 yards), one forced fumble, four fumble recoveries and seven pass breakups.
Cattouse was the Pappy Waldorf Cal Coaches Award winner on the defensive side of the ball and also added the defense's Andy Smith Award for the player who took the most snaps on the season for the most Big "C" time. He is third on the club with a career-high 71 tackles and shares the team lead in both interceptions and fumble recoveries with two each, returning his two picks for 20 yards. Cattouse has added 3.5 tackles for loss (-7 yards), 1.0 sacks (-2 yards) and two pass breakups. He leads all active Cal players for his career with seven interceptions that he has returned for 44 yards and 17 pass breakups, while adding 180 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss (-11 yards), 2.0 sacks (-3 yards) and two fumble recoveries.
Cheadle picked up the Bob Tessier Award as the team's most improved lineman on offense for the second time in his career after previously winning the honor as a sophomore in 2009, and was also the Senior Lifter of the Year. He started all 12 games at right guard to raise his career total to 34, while leading the team with 15.5 pancake and 20.0 cut blocks, and ranking third with 21 knockdowns.
Jones was selected as one of two Cort Majors Captains Awards on offense and also picked up the Ken Harvey Award for the player showing special academic commitment and improvement as he will graduate in three and a half years from Cal this December with a bachelor's degree in African American studies. Jones is second on the team to Allen in both receptions and receiving yards in 2011 with career highs of 55 catches and 762 receiving yards.
His 13.9 yards per catch are also second among the team's regular receivers and his three touchdown catches are tied for second. Jones has at least one catch in 37 consecutive games, each of the team's contests over the past three seasons. He earned an honorable mention spot on the midseason All-American team released by Steele. For his career, he is Cal's active career leader in receptions (149), receiving yards (2,186), receiving touchdowns (13) and yards per catch among regular receivers (14.7).
Kapp earned the team's Stub Allison Award given to the Most Inspirational Player and the Dink Artal Award on offense for the player best exemplifying Cal spirit. He had a huge highlight when he scored his first career touchdown on a 43-yard run against Washington State. Kapp has six carries for 63 yards and the score, while adding one catch for 16 yards. He has also been one of the team's top special teams players with 17 tackles. Kapp played in 10 games with five starts before suffering a season-ending injury against the Cardinal that also finished his collegiate career.
Lasco was both a Co-Scout Team Player of the Year on offense as well as the Freshman Lifter of the Year. He did not play in a game.
Schwartz won the Brick Muller Award on offense as the Most Valuable Lineman for the third consecutive season while adding a Cort Majors Captains Award for the offense. The 2011 first-team All-Pac-12 left tackle has started all 12 games at the position in 2011 and is the only Golden Bear to start all 50 contests over the last four seasons. He is two starts shy of the school record of 52, established by Syd'Quan Thompson (2006-09). Schwartz has a team-high 29 knockdown blocks, while adding 5.5 pancakes and 17 cut blocks.
Sofele was honored as the team's Most Valuable Back and also captured the Ken Cotton Award as the Most Courageous Player for the Bears, both on the offensive side of the ball. He has led the team's rushing game, ranking fourth in the Pac-12 and 20th nationally in rushing yards per game (105.83). Sofele has a total of 1,266 yards on the ground that is the sixth-highest single season in Cal history and gives the Bears their ninth 1,000-yard rusher in the last 10 campaigns. He has five 100-yard rushing games and has had at least 74 yards on the ground 11 of 12 times.
Tipoti was the selection on defense for both the Ken Cotton Award and the Bob Tessier Award. He spent most of the season clogging up the middle at nose guard, recording 21 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss (-18 yards) and 1.5 sacks (-15 yards) in 10 games played and seven starts.
A total of 12 players earned a single team award, with the list including Allen, Bryan Anger, Nathan Broussard, Geoffrey Gibson, Puka Lopa, Zach Maynard, Anthony Miller, C.J. Moncrease, Robert Mullins, Ernest Owusu, Matt Summers-Gavin and Giorgio Tavecchio. Anger was a first-team All-Pac-12 choice in 2011, while Miller, Summers-Gavin and Tavecchio were honorable mention selections.
Anger picked up the J. Scott Duncan Award as the team's Most Valuable Special Teams Player for the third straight year, joining Schwartz as the only player to win the same honor for each of the last three seasons. Anger also became only the fourth player in Cal history to be named first-team all-conference for the third consecutive year in 2011, while adding an award as the College Football Performance Award's Elite Punter for the 2010 and '11 seasons combined. Anger is averaging 44.57 yards per punt average in 2011 to rank third in the Pac-12 (according to the NCAA's minimum of punts per game) and 12th nationally. His 2011 average is also fifth on Cal's all-time single season list and has improved his career average to 43.54 yards per punt, second on Cal's all-time list. He earned an honorable mention spot on Steele's midseason All-American squad.
Broussard was the Scout Team Player of the Year on special teams, while Gibson shared the honor with Lasco on offense, and Lopa was the choice on defense.
Maynard was 20-of-29 for 280 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in the Big Game. He has completed 213-of-373 passes for 2,806 yards, with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a 129.44 quarterback rating. Maynard is currently sixth on Cal's all-time single-season list for passing yards and needs only 194 yards in the air in the Holiday Bowl against Texas to become the third Cal passer to ever throw for 3,000 yards in a season. He is another 21 yards shy of Nate Longshore's 3,021-yard season in 2006 that accounted for the second-most passing yardage in Cal history. Pat Barnes holds the school's single-season record with 3,499 passing yards in 1996. Maynard came on strong at the end of the 2011 campaign as evidenced by the dramatic rise in his completion percentage, touchdown to interception ration and quarterback rating. Over the last four games, he completed 68.5 percent of passes, threw for five touchdowns to one interception and posted a 154.27 rating. Over his first eight contests, he hit on 53.4 percent of his passes, had nearly as many interceptions (10) as touchdowns (12), and a rating of 121.31.
Miller captured the Pappy Waldorf Coaches Award on offense. In addition to his blocking prowess as the team's starting tight end for all 12 games, he added 23 catches for 254 yards and a career-high three touchdown receptions. His 23 catches are three shy of the career high of 26 he posted in 2009. For his career, he has 63 catches for 765 yards and five touchdowns.
Moncrease earned the Andy Smith Award for the player with the most Big "C" time on special teams, recording 13 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss (-3 yards) and a pass breakup.
Mullins was selected for the Everett Merriman Award demonstrating commitment to community service. On the field, he contributed nine tackles and his first career sack (-2 yards) in 11 games played, including his second career start at UCLA in which he recorded a career-high-tying four tackles.
Owusu co-leads the team with 4.5 sacks (-25 yards), while adding 7.5 tackles for loss (-30 yards) to rank fourth on the club and 27 tackles, which is second among the team's defensive linemen. His .38 sacks per game are tied for 15th in the Pac-12. Owusu also has two pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble in 12 games played and eight starts.
Summers-Gavin started all 12 games at right tackle, protecting the left-handed Maynard's backside. He had nine pancake blocks, 16 knockdowns and 15 cut blocks.
Tavecchio has made 19-of-22 field goal attempts for a Pac-12 high 86.4 percentage and also leads the conference in field goals per game (1.58), ranking tied for 11th nationally in the latter category. Tavecchio paces Cal in scoring with 92 points and has moved into fifth place on the school's all-time scoring list with 252 career points. He is the first Cal player to lead the Pac-12 in field goals made since Doug Brien led the conference and the nation in 1991 with an average of 1.73 per game.
Campbell, Cattouse, Cheadle, Holt, Jones, Miller, Sofele, Summers-Gavin, Tavecchio and Tipoti were honorable mention All-Pac-12 choices.
The team's nine Pac-12 All-Academic selections were also honored at the banquet. Mark Brazinski (3.68 GPA, Business Administration/Media Studies), Owusu (3.31 GPA, Political Economy), Schwartz (3.24 GPA, American Studies) and John Tyndall (3.17 GPA, Interdisciplinary Studies/Peace & Conflict Studies) were first-team choices. Kapp (3.03 GPA, American Studies), Summers-Gavin (3.31 GPA, Political Science) and Tavecchio (3.71 GPA, Political Economy) were named to the conference's second team. Cal's combined seven first and second-team picks were the most in the Pac-12. Dan Camporeale (3.04 GPA, American Studies) and Cheadle (3.14 GPA, American Studies) were honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic choices.
Cal (7-5, 4-5 Pac-12) will play Texas (7-5, 4-5 Big 12) in the Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego for a nationally-televised game on Wednesday, Dec. 28 (5 p.m. PT). The Bears finished their 2011 regular-season schedule by winning three of their final four games, with the only loss coming narrowly on the road at the hands of a Stanford team that finished the regular season at No. 4 in the BCS Standings, as well as the AP Top 25 and USA Today Poll. The Bears are assured of a winning record for the ninth time in the last 10 campaigns. Cal finished fourth in the highly competitive North division of the Pac-12 Conference and was selected for a bowl prior to any of the team's from the conference's South division.
