(Editor’s note: Montana State athletics release)
BOZEMAN — Hero Sports named a pair of Montana State Bobcats to its freshmen all-American team Monday. Offensive tackle Connor Wood earned first-team all-American honors, while record-setting running back Isaiah Ifanse was lauded as honorable mention.
Wood helped solidify Montana State’s offensive line, starting nine of the team’s 13 games. A 6-foot-4, 300-pound product of Meridian, Idaho became a mainstay on the Bobcat offensive line, which finished among the FCS leaders in rushing offense (17th, 231.8 yards per game) and fewest sacks allowed (12th, 0.85 per game). Toiling behind Wood and the MSU offensive line, Ifanse (5-10, 190, Bellevue, Washington) rushed for 1,057 yards, the most by a freshman in Bobcat history and 24th in the FCS. He rushed for seven touchdowns on the season, and his 5.4 yards per carry was sixth in the Big Sky Conference.
The Bobcats finished 8-5 and beat Incarnate Word in the first round of the FCS Playoffs before elimination in the second round. Montana State’s recent freshman all-Americans include quarterback Chris Murray in 2016 and Troy Andersen a season ago.
