Ducks’ Cristobal takes AP Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors

With a big victory over Utah for the Pac-12 championship, Oregon coach Mario Cristobal has the Ducks headed for the Rose Bowl.

Cristobal was named the AP’s Pac-12 Coach of the Year by a panel of journalists who cover the league.

Cristobal, in his second season as head coach, has righted a group that has seen its share of turbulence with three head coaches in the past four years. The Ducks have embraced his mantra of “trust, belief and accountability.”

Oregon (11-2) stumbled out of the gate against Auburn and a loss against Arizona State down the stretch eliminated the Ducks from the College Football Playoff conversation, but the team is headed to Pasadena for the first time since 2015 and the eighth time in program history. They’ll face Wisconsin on New Year’s Day.

The biggest surprise of the AP’s All-Pac-12 team was the Offensive Player of the Year, with voters evenly split between Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley, Utah running back Zack Moss and Oregon tackle Penei Sewell, with all three receiving four first-place votes from the 12 voters.

Moss, who became Utah’s all-time leading rusher this season, leads the Pac-12 in rushing with 113.3 yards a game. He set school records for career rushing touchdowns with 38, career 100-yard rushing games with 19 and career touchdowns with 41.

Huntley, who like Moss was an AP first-team selection, threw for 2,966 yards and 18 touchdowns, and rushed for 257 yards and another five scores.

Sewell was named winner of this year’s Morris Trophy for top offensive lineman in the Pac-12. He earned conference Offensive Lineman of the Week honors four times this season.

California linebacker Evan Weaver, who leads the nation with a career-high 173 total tackles this season, earned Defensive Player of the Year honors while USC freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis was named Newcomer of the Year.

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The 2019 AP All-Pac-12 team, as selected by a panel of 12 sports writers and sportscasters who regularly cover the league, with players listed alphabetically with name, school, height, weight, class and hometown. (“u-” denotes unanimous selections):

FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB Tyler Huntley, Utah, 6-foot-1, 205, Sr., Dania Beach, Florida

RB u-Zack Moss, Utah, 5-foot-10, 222, Sr., Hialeah Gardens, Florida

RB Joshua Kelley, UCLA, 5-foot-11, 219, Sr., Lancaster, California

T u-Penei Sewell, Oregon, 6-foot-6, 325, So., Malaeimi, American Samoa

T Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon, 6-foot-5, 309, Sr., Bellevue, Washington

G u-Shane Lemieux, Oregon, 6-foot-4, 316, Sr., Yakima, Washington

G Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC, 6-foot-4, 310, So., Oakland, California

C Nick Harris, Washington, 6-foot-1, 302, Sr., Inglewood, California

TE Hunter Bryant, Washington, 6-foot-2, 239, Jr., Issaquah, Washington

WR u-Michael Pittman Jr., USC, 6-foot-4, 220, Sr., Woodland Hills, California

WR Isaiah Hodgins, Oregon State, 6-foot-4, 209, Jr., Oakley, California

All Purpose: Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State, 6-foot-1, 206, Sr., Reno, Nevada

K u-Blake Mazza, Washington State, 5-foot-9, 175, So., Plano Texas

Defense

DE u-Bradlee Anae, Utah, 6-foot-3, 265, Sr., Laie, Hawaii

DE: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon, 6-foot-5, 242, Fr., Los Angeles

DT Leki Fotu, Utah, 6-foot-5, 335, Sr., West Valley City, Utah

DT John Penisini, Utah, 6-foot-2, 333, Sr., West Jordan, Utah

LB Evan Weaver, California, 6-foot-3, 235, Sr., Spokane, Washington

LB Troy Dye, Oregon, 6-foot-4, 226, Sr., Norco, California

LB Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Oregon State, 6-foot-4, 236, Jr., Phoenix

CB Elijah Molden, Washington, 5-foot-10, 190, Jr., West Linn, Oregon

CB Jaylon Johnson, Utah, 6-foot-0, 195, Jr., Fresno, California

S Julian Blackmon, Utah, 6-foot-1, 204, Sr., Layton, Utah

S Terrell Burgess, Utah, 6-foot-0, 198, Sr., San Marcos, California

P Michael Turk, Arizona State, 6-foot-1, 228, So., Dallas, Texas

SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB Justin Herbert, Oregon, 6-foot-6, 237, Sr., Eugene, Oregon

RB Eno Benjamin, Arizona State, 5-foot-10, 210, Jr., Wylie, Texas

RB CJ Verdell, Oregon, 5-foot-9, 210, So., Chula Vista, California

T Blake Brandel, Oregon State, 6-foot-7, 307, Sr., Milwaukie, Oregon

T Abe Lucas, Washington State, 6-foot-7, 324, So., Everett, Washington

G Gus Lavaka, Oregon State, 6-foot-4, 347, Sr., Kearns, Utah

G Jaxson Kirkland, Washington, 6-foot-7, 323, So., Portland, Oregon

C Jake Hanson, Oregon, 6-foot-5, 295, Sr., Eureka, California

TE Brant Kuithe, Utah, 6-foot-2, 235, So., Katy, Texas.

WR Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State, 6-foot-1, 206, Sr., Reno, Nevada

WR Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado, 6-foot-2, 220, Jr., DeSoto, Texas

All Purpose Travell Harris, Washington State, 5-foot-9, 180, So., Tampa, Florida

K Peyton Henry, Washington, 5-foot-11, 197, So., Danville, California

Defense

DE Drake Jackson, USC, 6-foot-4, 275, Fr., Corona, California.

DE Jermayne Lole, Arizona State, 6-foot-2, 284, So., Long Beach, California

DT Jay Tufele, USC, 6-foot-3, 305, So., Salt Lake City

DT Levi Onwuzurike, Washington, 6-foot-3, 293, Jr., Allen, Texas

LB Francis Bernard, Utah, 6-foot-1, 235, Sr. Herriman, Utah

LB Nate Landman, Colorado, 6-foot-3, 230, Jr., Danville, California

LB Josh Woods, UCLA, 6-foot-2, 234, Sr., Upland, California

CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford, 6-foot-1, 190, Jr., Mansfield, Texas

CB Deommodore Lenoir, Oregon, 5-foot-11, 202, Jr., Los Angeles

S Jevon Holland, Oregon, 6-foot-1, 196, So., Pleasanton, California

S Myles Bryant, Washington, 5-foot-9, 185, Sr., Pasadena, California

P Ben Griffiths, USC, 6-foot-5, 240, Fr., Melbourne, Australia

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Coach of the Year: Mario Cristobal, Oregon

Offensive Player of the Year: Tyler Huntley, Utah; Penei Sewell, Oregon; Zack Moss, Utah

Defensive Player of the Year: Evan Weaver, California

Newcomer of the Year: Kedon Slovis, USC

All-Pac-12 Voting Panel:

James Crepea, The Oregonian; Michelle Gardner, The Arizona Republic; Josh Furlong, ksl.com, Salt Lake City; Michael Lev, Arizona Daily Star; Sean Keeler, Denver Post, Dale Grummert, Lewiston (Idaho) Tribune, Theo Lawson, The Spokesman-Review; Brian Howell, Boulder Daily Camera, Lauren Kirschman, Tacoma News Tribune; Jon Wilner, The (San Jose) Mercury News; Gary Horowitz, KBZY, Salem, Oregon; Tony Parks, KZNS, Salt Lake City.