Making a case

OK, here's my plea to anybody who votes for the all Mountain West Conference honors. I'm pretty sure that no local members of the media will be reading this, nor will any MWC coaches. But in case you are, please spend some time to hear me out.

If you're going to vote for anybody for first-team all conference safety, your first pick has got to be Steve Tate, and here's why:

1. Utah's passing D was unbelievable, and he was the anchor on that passing D. Just how tough was that passing D? Well, they were first in the MWC in passing yards, passing TDs, pass efficiency, pass completion ratio, and interceptions. Want more evidence of how good they were? They were also 12th in the NCAA in passing yards, fourth in the NCAA in completion ratio, 2nd in the NCAA in pass efficiency D, and first in the NCAA in passing TDs given up. Keep in mind that Utah lost the MWC defensive player of the year and 2nd round NFL pick Eric Weddle, and actually IMPROVEd in the secondary. You've GOT to recognize the best player on the best unit with first-team honors.

2. Utah's overall D was tops in the MWC, and Steve was the leader. He led the team with tackles (98 total, 8.3 per game), with Tackles for Loss (10.0), was fourth on the team in sacks (2.5), tied for second on the team in interceptions (3), and fourth on the team in pass break-ups (4). Again, you've GOT to recognize the best player on the best D in the MWC with first-team honors.

3. Look at his stats. He is the 2nd leading tackler amongst all safeties in the MWC. He is 1st in the MWC amongst safeties in Tackles for Loss (10.0), 1st in the MWC for safeties for INTs (3), and in the top three in sacks (2.5). He had five games during the year with double-digit tackles, and he also won MWC player of the week during the year.

4. His career. After the bowl game, he will be the first Utah DB in history to reach 100+ in consecutive years. He'll have more than 250 career tackles and five interceptions.

It's unfortunate that Utah and the entire MWC lacked the exposure that they've had in years past. I think that this has made it more difficult for Tate to stand out. But based on the above criteria, it isn't far-fetched to consider Tate the MWC defensive player of the year. But there is no doubt that his performance merits the recognition as the top player at his position in the MWC. He deserves first-team this year, and it would be a travesty if he doesn't get it.