SDSU'S RASHAAD PENNY AND KYAHVA TENZINO NAMED TO ALL-BOWL TEAMS

Penny lands on five all-bowl teams; Tezino makes Sports Illustrated team

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

January 11, 2018 (San Diego) - San Diego State senior running back Rashaad Penny and sophomore linebacker Kyahva Tezino were each recently named to all-bowl teams. Penny landed on the Associated Press, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and Bleacher Report all-bowl teams, while Tezino made the Sports Illustrated team.

Penny (Norwalk, Calif.) rushed for an Armed Forces Bowl-record 221 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on just 14 carries (15.8 avg.) in the Aztecs’ 42-35 loss to Army West Point in Fort Worth, Texas. Penny also added a catch and two kick returns for 62 yards (31.0 avg.). The 221 rushing yards were the most out of the 39 bowl games (78 teams), while the four touchdowns ranked in a tie for second.

Penny became the fourth player in NCAA FBS history with at least 200 yards rushing in five straight games, joining USC’s Marcus Allen (1981), Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders (1988) and North Texas’ Jamario Thomas (2004). He also passed Donnel Pumphrey for the most rushing yards in school single-season history (2,248), also the fifth most in a game in NCAA FBS single-season history.

For the season, Penny rushed 289 times for 2,248 yards (7.8 avg.) and 23 touchdowns, while adding 19 catches for 135 yards (7.1 avg.) and two touchdowns, 17 kick returns for 521 yards (30.6 avg.) and two touchdowns, and two punt returns for 70 yards (35.0 avg.) and another score. He ended up leading the country in rushing yards (2,248) and all-purpose yards (2,974).

Tezino (Los Angeles), meanwhile, came up with 17 tackles, including 11 solos, six assisted stops and a career-best 2.5 tackles for loss. The 17 stops were a San Diego State bowl record, the most by an Aztec in a game since 2008, tied for the most out of the 39 bowl games (78 teams) this year and tied for the 23^rd most in a FBS game this season.

The bowl contest finished an impressive five-game stretch to close the season for Tezino. Tezino, who had eight tackles and one TFL over his first career 17 games (all off the bench), finished with 56 stops and 8.5 TFL over his final five games (all starts).

On the season, Tezino totaled 59 tackles (35 solo), six tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass breakup and seven quarterback hurries.