ASU’s Benjamin and Harry, Arizona’s Taylor make All-Pac-12 First Team
Dec 4, 2018, 2:24 PM
(AP photos)
The All-Pac-12 First Team for the 2018 football season includes ASU’s Eno Benjamin and N’Keal Harry, plus Arizona’s J.J. Taylor.
Honors for the first and second all-conference teams were announced Tuesday afternoon, while individual awards will be released later in the evening.
Harry was named as a second-team return specialist thanks to his punt return duties this year, while Arizona State center Cohl Cabral also made the second All-Pac-12 team.
Heading into a Las Vegas Bowl appearance against Fresno State, Benjamin has accumulated 1,524 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on the ground, plus 247 yards and two more scores as a receiver. The running back is 42 yards away from breaking the school’s single-season rushing record.
Earlier this year, Benjamin set the school record by posting 312 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns against Oregon State.
The sophomore is in his first season as the premier back and spent his freshman year receiving limited snaps behind then-seniors Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage.
The 5-foot-10 Benjamin led the Pac-12 by averaging 127 rushing yards per game and also led the conference in rushing touchdowns.
Harry, who declared for the 2019 NFL Draft, finished his junior campaign with 1,088 yards on 73 receptions, including nine scores. He was third in the conference by averaging 90.7 receiving yards per outing and tied for third with nine touchdown catches this season.
Harry won’t participate in the Sun Devils’ bowl game.
Arizona’s tailback, Taylor, ranked third by averaging 119.5 rushing yards per game and totaled 1,434 by the end of the year. The 5-foot-6 sophomore scored six rushing touchdowns for the Wildcats.
Cabral, a junior, was named to the preseason Rimington Trophy watch list, which is awarded to the top center in the nation. He was also one of four team captains and transitioned to center after starting all 13 games at left tackle last season.
Cabral was part of an offensive line that was named as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the top offensive line unit in the nation.