Nine Frogs on Phil Steele's mid-season MWC team
10/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 11, 2007
CLEVELAND -- Nine TCU players, including six on defense, have been named to Phil Steele's Mid-Season All-Mountain West Conference team.
Defensive end Chase Ortiz, cornerback Rafael Priest and safety Steven Coleman are first-team defensive selections, while linebackers David Hawthorne and Robert Henson and safety David Roach were named to the second team.
Punter Derek Wash and punt returner Brian Bonner were second-team choices on special teams. Guard Matty Lindner was a second-team offensive pick and the Horned Frogs' lone representative on that side of the ball.
Ortiz is tied for the MWC lead with 8.5 tackles for a loss. He also has three sacks. Coleman is tied for second in the league with three interceptions. With seven pass break-ups and two picks, Priest is in a deadlock for second in the MWC with nine passes defended.
Roach's team-high 47 tackles are a career-high. Hawthorne's 42 stops, which are tied with Jason Phillips for second on the team, are one shy of equaling his personal-best in a season. Henson is fourth on TCU with 37 tackles while adding two interceptions.
Wash tops the MWC and is 12th nationally with a 45.0 yard average. Bonner's 15.2 return mark on punts is second in the league and 17th in the country.
Lindner helps anchor a TCU offensive line which has allowed just 11 sacks, one shy of the fewest total surrendered in the MWC.
Phil Steele's College Football Preview is one of the nation's leading preseason magazines.
