SDSU'S JEFF HORTON NAMED FOOTBALLSCOOP RUNNING BACKS COACH OF THE YEAR

Horton picked by peers for prestigious award

Source: goaztecs.com

Photo:  Donnel Pumphrey and Jeff Horton, courtesy goaztecs.com

January 4, 2017 (San Diego) - San Diego State associate head coach/offensive coordinator/running backs coach Jeff Horton was recently named the 2016 FootballScoop Running Backs Coach of the Year, presented by ProGrass.

Horton, who completed his sixth year on The Mesa this past season, helped the Aztecs win their second consecutive Mountain West title and tie a school record with 11 victories, culminating with a 34-10 win over Houston in the Las Vegas Bowl last month.

Under Horton’s direction, SDSU set numerous offensive program (DI era) records, including rushing yards (3,680), rushing touchdowns (34), rushing yards per carry (5.8) and points (493).

Leading the way was Donnel Pumphrey, who rushed 349 times for 2,133 yards (6.1 avg.) and 17 touchdowns. His 2,133 yards currently lead the country and are the 10^th most in NCAA FBS single-season history. For his efforts, Pumphrey was a Doak Walker finalist, a first-team All-America selection by Walter Camp and Sports Illustrated, and a second-team pick by Associated Press, FWAA, The Sporting News and USA Today. Additionally, Pumphrey was chosen as the MW Offensive Player of the Year for a second straight campaign, while being named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award. He finished his career as the all-time rushing leader in NCAA FBS history.

Rashaad Penny chipped in with 1,018 rushing yards and 11 scores on 136 attempts (7.5 avg.), making San Diego State the first team in NCAA FBS history with a 2,000-yard and 1,000-yard rusher in the same season. Penny was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Year for a second consecutive season where he excelled as a kick returner.

With over three decades of coaching experience, Horton has spent time in the NFL and has been a head coach at three collegiate programs (1993 at Nevada, 1994-98 at UNLV, 2010 at Minnesota (interim).

The FootballScoop Coach of the Year awards are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Tulsa’s Jeff Hill, Washington State’s Jim Mastro, Stanford’s Lance Taylor and Horton) were selected off nominations from coaches, athletic directors and athletic department personnel. Horton was chosen by the previous winners of the award - Burton Burns (Alabama, 2008), Willie Taggart (Stanford, 2009), Mastro (Nevada, 2010), Frank Wilson (LSU, 2011), Calvin McGee (Arizona, 2012), Jeff Lebby (Baylor, 2013), Bryce McClendon (Georgia, 2014) and Taylor (Stanford, 2015).