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Two Nevada football members cracked the 2020 Preseason All-Mountain West team, it was announced by the conference Wednesday. At least two Pack players have made the team for the fourth consecutive season.
Junior defensive end Dom Peterson and sophomore placekicker Brandon Talton were the only Pack members to crack the 28-player squad — which is voted on by a selected group of media members covering the league’s member institutions.
Peterson, from Harbor City, Calif., was named to the All-Mountain first team as a sophomore last season. He is the conference’s leading returning sacks (9.0) and tackles-for-loss (15.0) leader from 2019. Peterson was the Wolf Pack’s top defensive lineman last year.
The 6-foot-0, 295-pound lineman recorded at least one tackle-for-loss in all but one game in 2019. His best game came in a 21-10 win over New Mexico, where he recorded four solo tackles, three tackles-for-loss and two sacks. Peterson was named to the preseason All-Mountain West first team by Athlon Sports last month. He has been named to three 2020 preseason watch lists: Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy and the Outland Trophy.
Talton, from Vacaville, Calif., earned All-Mountain West second team honors as a true freshman. He nailed 21-of-25 field goals, including his first 13 without a miss. His 21 field goals were the third-most in the conference and are tied for third-most in a single season in school history.
He was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week on three occasions, including after a week one 34-31 win versus Purdue, when Talton drilled a 56-yard game-winning field goal at the end of regulation to complete Nevada’s 17-point comeback. His 56-yarder was the longest ever by a freshman in Mountain West History and the second-longest field goal on the year from a Mountain West kicker (Jake Koehnke - AFA: 57 yards vs. Utah State). He was immediately placed on scholarship following the Purdue victory.
UNREAL FINISH!
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 31, 2019
Nevada true freshman Brandon Talton nails a 56-yard FG to stun Purdue on the final play of the game pic.twitter.com/ECnq7kPKR6
Game-winner from 56.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 31, 2019
Scholarship postgame.
Life-changing night for @NevadaFootball freshman kicker Brandon Talton pic.twitter.com/50pCXcWO6u
Talton was also named to the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Award earlier on Wednesday.
Here is the full roster of the Preseason All-Mountain West team.
2020 Preseason All-Mountain West Team
Offense
QB — Hank Bachmeier, Boise State
WR — Khalil Shakir, Boise State
WR — Warren Jackson, Colorado State
WR — Tre Walker, San José State
RB — Charles Williams, UNLV
RB — Xazavian Valladay, Wyoming
OL — Parker Ferguson, Air Force
OL — Nolan Laufenberg, Air Force
OL — John Ojukwu, Boise State
OL — Ilm Manning, Hawai‘i
OL — Keegan Cryder, Wyoming
TE — Trey McBride, Colorado State
Defense
DL — Scale Igiehon, Boise State
DL — Dom Peterson, Nevada
DL — Cameron Thomas, San Diego State
DL — Keshawn Banks, San Diego State
LB — Demonte Meeks, Air Force
LB — Riley Whimpey, Boise State
LB — Dequan Jackson, Colorado State
LB — Justin Rice, Fresno State
DB — Kekaula Kaniho, Boise State
DB — Avery Williams, Boise State
DB — Darren Hall, San Diego State
DB — Tariq Thompson, San Diego State
Specialists
P — Ryan Stonehouse, Colorado State
PK — Brandon Talton, Nevada
KR — Savon Scarver, Utah State
PR — Avery Williams, Boise State
For the fourth consecutive season and in five out of the last six seasons, the Wolf Pack have had at least two members make the preseason All-Mountain West team, including three prior to the 2018 season. Here is a list of its all-time members since joining the Mountain West in 2012.
Nevada’s all-time Preseason All-Mountain West Team honorees:
2012 — Chris Barker, OL; Jeff Nady, OL; Jack Reynoso, DL; Duke Williams, DB.
2013 — Brock Hekking, DL.
2014 — Brock Hekking, DL.
2015 — Ian Seau, DL; Alex Boy, P.
2016 — Dameon Baber, DB.
2017 — Austin Corbett, OL; Malik Reed, DL.
2018 — McLane Mannix, WR; Malik Reed, DL; Dameon Baber, DB.
2019 — Jake Nelson, OL; Toa Taua, RB.
2020 — Dom Peterson, DL; Brandon Talton, PK.