TCU's Boykin, Dawson Lead AP All-Big 12 Teams

Trevone Boykin and sixth-ranked TCU finished the regular season as Big 12 co-champs. There is no sharing for the Horned Frogs of the top two player awards on the AP All-Big 12 team.

Boykin, the quarterback who has also caught touchdown passes and was almost a running back for the Horned Frogs, was a unanimous pick Monday as The Associated Press Big 12 offensive player of the year. TCU linebacker Paul Dawson was the top defensive player.

Fourth-ranked Baylor had a league-high five first-team picks, including Spencer Drango as a unanimous pick on offensive line. Oklahoma joined TCU with four selections.

The Horned Frogs, in only their third Big 12 season, became the first team since Texas in 2008 to sweep the top two individual awards that have been named annually since the league's inaugural 1996 season. Oklahoma was the only other team to do that, in 2000 and 2003.

In his first full season as TCU's quarterback, Boykin leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally with 363 total yards per game. The dual-threat junior has thrown for 3,714 yards without 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions, along with 642 yards rushing with eight more scores.

"The difference between 4-8 and 11-1," coach Gary Patterson said of Boykin, referring to the improvement in TCU's record from last year to now. "The guy has been able to make things happen. ... You have to have people step up to change things, and Trevone has been one of those who's done that."

Dawson, the only unanimous selection pick on the first-team defense, got nine of the 20 votes for top defensive player. Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown, a first-team pick on defense, got six votes.

Oklahoma freshman running back Samaje Perine, who joined Boykin and Drango as only unanimous first-team picks on offense, was named the Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year with 18 votes in balloting by 20 media members who cover the league on a regular basis. Baylor freshman linebacker Taylor Young was the top defensive newcomer.

Perine leads the Big 12 with 131.6 yards rushing per game and 21 touchdowns. He set the NCAA single-game record with 427 yards against Kansas on Nov. 22, a week after Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon had 408 to break what had been a 15-year-old record held by LaDanian Tomlinson at UTEP.

Tyler Lockett, who this season surpassed his father as Kansas State's career leader in receptions, yards and touchdown catches, is a repeat first-team selection.  The other first-team receivers, also who averaged more than 100 yards receiving per game, are West Virginia senior Kevin White and Baylor sophomore Corey Coleman, who matched the league lead with 10 TD catches while playing only nine games.

Texas Tech junior left tackle Le'Raven Clark was also a first-team pick last season. The other first-teamers up front are Kansas State center B.J. Finney and offensive linemen Drango, West Virginia senior Mark Glowinski and Oklahoma senior Daryl Williams. Iowa State's E.J. Bibbs was the first-team tight end.

Dawson was the league's leading tackler with 128 and tied with 18 1/2 tackles for loss. His 41-yard interception return for a touchdown put the Frogs ahead to stay in a 37-33 win over then-No. 4 Oklahoma in their Big 12 opener.

The other first-team linebackers are Kansas' Ben Heeney, Big 12 sack leader Pete Robertson from Texas Tech, and Oklahoma's Eric Striker.

Brown is on the defensive line with Baylor teammates Andrew Billings and Shawn Oakman, and Oklahoma State's Emmanuel Ogbah.

TCU's Chris Hackett and Oklahoma's Zack Sanchez, who tied for the league lead with six interceptions, were first-team defensive backs, joined by TCU's Sam Carter and Baylor's Orion Stewart.

The AP will name its Big 12 coach of the year Tuesday.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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