SDSU FOOTBALL'S RON SMITH NAMED TO ALL-BOWL TEAMS

Smith name to both Associated Press and Athlon Sports bowl teams

Source: goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

January 11, 2017 (San Diego) - San Diego State cornerback Ron Smith (Oakland, Calif./St. Mary’s HS) was recently named to a pair of 2016-17 bowl teams. A redshirt freshman, Smith was named to the Associated Press All-Bowl Team and the Athlon Sports All-Bowl Team.

Seniors Calvin Munson (St. Charles, Mo.) and Kyle Kelley (Irvine, Calif.) also picked up postseason honors. Munson was a second-team all-bowl pick by Athlon, while Kelley was a honorable mention selection by the AP.

The trio helped the Aztecs defeat Houston 34-10 in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 17. In the game, SDSU shut out the Cougars over the final 46 minutes, 22 seconds (46:22), had seven sacks, four interceptions, forced five 3 and outs, allowed just 25 yards on 41 attempts (0.6 avg.) and scored 14 points off turnovers. San Diego State recorded at least four interceptions and seven sacks in the same for the first time since at least 1996.

Smith had a career-high 10 tackles (seven solo) and a 54-yard interception for a touchdown. He was joined in the secondary on the AP All-Bowl Team by Florida’s Chauncey Gardner, Stanford’s Dallas Lloyd and USC’s Leon McQuay.

Smith finished the 2016 campaign with 57 tackles (30 solo), three interceptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns, three pass breakups, a forced fumble and 0.5 tackles for loss. He finished sixth on the team in tackles, despite only starting the final six games of the season.

A linebacker, Munson came up with eight tackles, including an eight yard sack (and tackle for loss), and a 12-yard interception. The captain finished the season with a team-high 116 tackles (43 more than the next player on the team), including 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three pass breakups, an interception and a team-high 17 quarterback hurries.

Kelley, meanwhile, also added a career-high 10 tackles, including a five yard sack (and tackle for loss). Last year Kelley made the AP All-Bowl Team with 3.5 sacks against Cincinnati at the Hawai’i Bowl. He finished the season with 49 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, 12 quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a pass breakups.

The Aztecs captured their second straight Mountain West title with a 27-24 win over Wyoming on Dec. 3 in Laramie, Wyo., and downed UH, 34-10, in the Las Vegas Bowl for their second consecutive bowl win. SDSU (11-3) tied a program record with 11 victories and finished the season ranked 25^th in both the AP Top 25 poll and Amway Coaches Poll.