Posted December 16, 2017 | lasvegasbowl
The 2017 Rich Abajian Most Valuable Player Award went to Boise State wide receiver Cedrick Wilson after a 38-28 Broncos’ victory over the Oregon Ducks Saturday afternoon.
Wilson made an immediate impact in the game with a touchdown reception in the first quarter from quarterback Brett Rypien. Wilson went on to tally 10 receptions for 221 yards and a touchdown catch. The receiving yards total was the second best in Las Vegas Bowl history, trailing just Gerrell Robinson’s 241 yards for Arizona State against Boise State in 2011.
Coming into the game Wilson needed 123 receiving yards to pass Thomas Sperbeck for the Boise State all-time single-season record. With his bowl performance, Wilson finished the season with 1,511 receiving yards, easily breaking the record.
“When I first went to a junior college I had set a goal for myself to get here and that’s exactly what I did,” Wilson said. “I actually talked to Thomas (Sperbeck) the other day and he joked around saying ‘Dude don’t break my record.’”
Wilson becomes the fifth wide receiver to receive the award in Las Vegas Bowl history and the first to do so since Austin Collie from BYU in 2007.
During the game, Wilson was hobbled a little bit with an ankle injury, but that didn’t stop him from finishing.
