Bruce, Frampton All-Pac-10
PULLMAN – Washington State’s football season is probably over, but even if that’s the case, a pair of Cougars have been rewarded for their efforts this season with the announcement Monday that they earned All-Pac-10 first-team honors.
Defensive end Mkristo Bruce, who led the team with 11 sacks, and safety Eric Frampton, who had a team-best 100 tackles, were named to the all-conference defense. Quarterback Alex Brink and wide receiver Jason Hill earned second-team honors. Save for Brink, who is a junior, all three were playing their senior seasons.
“I didn’t know if I was going to get it or not,” Bruce said Monday evening. “I kind of fell off at the end, got hurt. A lot of stuff happened. But it’s good to know that people out there recognize you.”
The league also announced its top honors, giving offensive player of the year to California running back Marshawn Lynch and the defensive award to Lynch’s teammate, cornerback Daymeion Hughes. USC’s Pete Carroll was named the conference’s coach of the year. (For the complete list of the Pac-10 Conference all-league teams, see Scoreboard on C4.)
For the Cougars, Bruce recorded 10 sacks through six games, but a knee injury and a defensive scheme switch limited his opportunities for the rest of the year. Still, he attracted double-teams on almost every passing down and was an emotional leader for WSU throughout the season.
Frampton had a breakthrough season and has apparently made a name for himself with NFL scouts as well after showing an ability to excel in pass coverage and run support in 2006.
“He really did deserve it,” Bruce said of his teammate. “To me he was one of the best safeties in the Pac-10, if not the best. He brought his intensity. The way he came after people, I didn’t see linebackers hitting as hard as Framp was.”
Brink showed signs of improvement in his junior season, picking up one Pac-10 player of the week honor along the way as he threw for 2,899 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. Hill may have gotten the nod on reputation, as he actually finished the year third on the team in catches with 41 for 600 yards and a team-best seven touchdowns.
Nonetheless, Hill’s ability to beat defenses down the field dictated the way they played against WSU defensively until a high ankle sprain cost him the final two games of the regular season.
Tight end Cody Boyd, cornerback Tyron Brackenridge, wide receiver Michael Bumpus, linebacker Scott Davis and offensive tackle Charles Harris all earned honorable mention all-league status.
The Cougars will find out with certainty their bowl fate this weekend, but with eight Pac-10 teams vying for six slots it is highly improbable that any scenario will unfold with the Cougars playing in a bowl game. For many, the waiting game has not been easy.
“After the Apple Cup you kind of came to grips with it, that you’re pretty much done as a Cougar,” Bruce said. “Of course you want to keep on playing, but if not you just want to know for sure what’s going on.”