Washington State's Jackson, Moscow's Elliss nab All-Pac-12 honors
Dec. 6—One player tore it up on the Palouse as a high school football player and the other just finished up his six-year career with Washington State.
Both were menaces for opposing quarterbacks in the Pac-12 this season.
Edge rushers Jonah Elliss of Utah, via Moscow High School, and Brennan Jackson of WSU garnered All-Pac-12 honors when the all-conference teams were released this week.
Elliss took first-team honors and Jackson was named to the second team. Jackson was the only Cougar to make the first or second team, although four Cougs were tabbed honorable mention in quarterback Cam Ward, edge Ron Stone Jr., safety Jaden Hicks and wide receiver Lincoln Victor.
With 10 teams leaving the conference next year, this was the last season for Pac-12's full football awards.
Elliss posts breakout season
Elliss exploded during his junior campaign in Salt Lake City.
The junior led all Power Five teams with 12 sacks in 10 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He also recorded 16 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, one forced fumble and 37 total tackles on the season. His 1.6 tackles for loss rank No. 4 in the NCAA.
Between his speed, strength and signature spin move, opposing offensive lines had trouble keeping Elliss out of their backfields.
Jackson lone Coug first- or second-teamer for second straight season
Last year was the first year since 2013 that WSU did not put an offensive player on the Pac-12 first or second teams.
That trend continued this season.
Jackson was the only WSU player to first- or second-teamer for the Cougars (5-7) after scoring three defensive touchdowns as a super senior.
Jackson scored a memorable fumble return touchdown early in the season against Wisconsin and rattled off fumble return scores of 40 and 74 yards in a win against Colorado.
Coincidentally, those 18 points made Jackson the seventh-highest scorer on the team this season. Not bad for a defensive player.
He also finished fourth in the league with 12.5 tackles for loss, tied for fourth with 8.5 sacks and led the nation with four fumble recoveries. He added 57 total tackles and 25 quarterback hurries.
It was the second second-team honor for Jackson and fourth Pac-12 award of his career.
Honorable mentions
Most notable among WSU's honorable mention nods is former walk-on wide receiver Lincoln Victor. The senior led the Pac-12 with 89 catches, which tied for third-most in a single season in WSU history, and he added 860 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
"I couldn't be more proud of my teammates (and) this coaching staff, not only for the long journey that we've had this season that hasn't gone our way, but we've always done a great job of responding," Victor said after WSU's season-finale loss to Washington on Nov. 25. "Just going to miss the guys who were in the foxhole with me."
Stone capped his long Cougar career with his third straight All-Pac-12 honor after rallying 11 tackles for loss, five sacks and three forced fumbles — two of which led to scores by Jackson.
Hicks, a sophomore and potentially WSU's best returning defender, finished seventh in the league with 79 tackles, six tackles for loss and two interceptions.
Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2260, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.
