11 New Mexico State football players awarded All-Conference USA honors

The New Mexico State football team is well represented on the Conference USA team postseason honors list, which was released on Tuesday.

In total, the Aggies garnered 11 All-CUSA awards, including three first team selections. In the midst of a historic season, the Aggies received five offensive awards, four defensive distinctions and two special teams accolades.

Offensive lineman Shiyzah Pete, defensive tackle Sterling Webb and place-kicker Ethan Albertson were named to the first team. Quarterback Diego Pavia, running back Star Thomas, offensive lineman Canaan Yarro, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and long snapper Charlie Eberle were named to the second team.

Tight end/quarterback Eli Stowers, defensive tackle Izaiah Reed and defensive back Jordan Vincent were named to the honorable mention team.

Pete has started all 13 games for the Aggies despite battling through a hand injury that left the Montana native in a cast for much of the season.

Webb served a vital role on an Aggie defense as a defensive tackle. The Aggies ranked first among all CUSA teams in points allowed per game during the regular season at just 19.7 points. The St. Louis native only improved as the year went on — recording 5.5 tackles for loss in the Aggies' most recent nine games. Albertson capped off a lengthy Aggie career with arguably the best season from a statistical standpoint. With one game remaining on the Aggies' schedule, the San Diego native has connected on 18 of his 23 field goal attempts — marking a career-high in made field goals in a single season in his final year with the program while also ranking first in the conference in made field goals and third in field goal percentage.

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Pavia has put together one of the most impressive seasons in all of college football. The former junior college walk-on is currently one of only 10 quarterbacks at the FBS level to lead his team in both passing (2,915) and rushing yards (986). The two-time CUSA Offensive Player of the Week currently ranks fourth in the league in total offense (269.0 yards per game) while ranking fifth in rushing yards per game (60.8) and seventh in passing yards per game (208.21). Thomas reached the end zone four times this season and rushed for nearly 700 yards to rank second among NM State rushers. After pacing the Aggies in rushing yards in 2022.

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Yarro is a redshirt junior from Provo, Utah, who started all 13 games up front while helping and was key to the Aggie offensive line allowing only 1.4 sacks per game to rank third in the conference. Elliott was also named to the conference's second team after serving as the Aggies' leading tackler with 101 total tackles entering the bowl game. Eberle made zero snapping errors as the team's long snapper while serving on a kicking unit which ranked first in the conference in made field goals and total points.

After beginning the season as the Aggies' primary backup quarterback, Stowers has since become one of the Aggies' top pass catchers. From the time that the Denton, Texas, native first appeared as a wideout on Oct. 4 versus FIU, Stowers has paced the Aggies in receptions, receiving yards or both, in five different games. Stowers currently ranks third on the team in both receptions (32) and yards (346) while also catching his first two collegiate touchdowns in back-to-back weeks — doing so against Western Kentucky and Auburn. Reed also garnered an honorable mention recognition after appearing in all 14 games this season and registering a tackle in all but one game this season despite playing all downs on the interior of the defensive line. The Houston native is one of only three Aggies to log four or more sacks this season, including one on Senior Day versus Jax State. Vincent currently ranks tied for second on the team and 29th in the conference in total tackles with 64.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 11 New Mexico State football players tabbed as All-Conference USA