Kendricks named Yahoo! Pac-12 defensive POY
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Rivals.com parent company Yahoo! Sports have released our All-Pac-12 teams, and they are chock-full of California Golden Bears.
Following the Pac-12 naming senior inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks its Defensive Player of the Year, Kendricks picked up Yahoo! Sports' nod, as well, to go along with his Yahoo! Sports third-team All-American nod.
Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck took home overall player of the year honors. Kendricks' little brother -- UCLA's Eric Kendricks -- earned all-freshman defense honors.
Kendricks was named to the first-team defense, while sophomore wide receiver Keenan Allen was named a first-team all-conference selection by Rivals.com and Yahoo! Sports.
Allen placed second in the conference in receptions per game (7.4) and third in receiving yards per game (105.1) while totaling 1,261 receiving yards -- third most in the Pac-12.
Senior placekicker Giorgio Tavecchio was named the first-team All-Pac-12 kicker.
Tavecchio led the conference in field goals (19) and field goal percentage, with a career-best 86.4 mark (19-for-22). Tavecchio hit 2-of-2 field goals from 1-19 yards, 6-of-7 from 20-29 yards, 7-of-7 from 30-39 yards, 3-of-5 from 40-49 yards and 1-of-1 from beyond 50 yards, with a long of 54 yards against Oregon.
Starting tailback Isi Sofele, senior left tackle Mitchell Schwartz and senior offensive guard Justin Cheadle were named to the second-team offense, while senior defensive end Trevor Guyton earned second-team defense honors. Senior punter Bryan Anger was named to the second-team special teams unit.
Sofele came in fourth in the conference with 1,270 rushing yards, scoring nine touchdowns and averaging 105.8 yards per game -- all career highs.
Guyton was tied with fellow senior defensive end Ernest Owusu for 15th in the league in sacks with 4.5 apiece. Guyton tied linebacker D.J. Holt for eighth in tackles for loss, with 10.5.
Anger -- a finalist for the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter -- ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in punting with a 44.6-yard average -- the second-highest mark of his career. Anger put four punts into the end zone and 18 inside the 20-yard line with 15 punts of over 50 yards.