Wide receivers coach Bouknight to remain on USU staff

<strong>LOGAN–</strong> Jovon Bouknight (Juh-vonn Bo-night) will remain on the Utah State football staff as the wide receivers coach it was announced Friday by newly appointed Aggie head coach Matt Wells.

Bouknight has spent the past four seasons with Utah State, serving as wide receivers coach for the last three years (2010-12) after being an offensive graduate assistant in 2009.

“I’m excited that Jovon has decided to remain at Utah State and be a part of our staff as we move forward,” Wells said. “Jovon is a coach that brings great energy, passion and enthusiasm into our office and onto the field. His wide receivers have demonstrated big playmaking ability and a toughness blocking in the running game, along with doing a great job academically and off the field in general.”

Bouknight helped Utah State to its most successful season in school history in 2012 as it went 11-2 and set school records for wins (11) and home wins (6), while being nationally ranked in the Associated Press poll for three-straight weeks for the first time in school history. USU also won its first outright conference championship since 1936 and just its third in school history joining the 1921 and 1936 teams that both won Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles.

Utah State also finished the 2012 season winning its final seven games, which is tied for the fourth-longest active winning streak in the nation and tied for the third-longest winning streak in school history.

“Obviously, this was an easy decision and a great opportunity,” said Bouknight. “When you have a head coach like Matt Wells who is very passionate and very detailed about the game, it’s very easy to coach with him and for him. I’m excited to get back into the saddle with a great group of guys that finished 11-2 this year, and I can’t wait to get working again.”

During the 2012 season, Bouknight was part of an Aggie offense that set single-season school records for total points (454), total offense (6,108 yards), completions (285) and total yards per game (469.8), while ranking second all-time in points per game (34.9) and total passing yards (3,445).

Nationally, Utah State’s 2012 offense ranked second in the Western Athletic Conference and 23rd in the country in total offense (469.8 ypg), second in the WAC and 18th in the nation in passing efficiency (153.21), second in the WAC and 25th in the nation in rushing offense (204.8 ypg), third in the WAC and 31st in the nation in sacks allowed (1.38 pg), third in the WAC and 33rd in the nation in scoring offense (34.9 ppg), and third in the WAC and 39th in the nation in passing offense (265.0 ypg).

Utah State also finished the 2012 season scoring 38 or more points in each of its final seven games, bettering the previous school record of 38-plus points in three-straight games accomplished six times and most recently in 2000.

As Utah State’s wide receivers coach in 2012, Bouknight mentored a pair of all-WAC performers in seniors Matt Austin and Chuck Jacobs as Austin earned second-team all-WAC honors and Jacobs was named to the league’s honorable mention team.

Austin finished the 2012 season leading the team in receptions (48) and receiving yards (729), and tying for first with five receiving touchdowns, while his 56.1 receiving yards per game ranked ninth in the WAC.

Jacobs had 41 catches for 608 yards (46.8 ypg) in 2012, including tying for the team leading with five receiving touchdowns. He also ranked third in the WAC and 41st nationally in kickoff return yards (24.1), while ranking ninth in the conference in all-purpose yards (93.8 pg). On the year, Jacobs returned 24 kicks for 579 yards.

During the 2011 season, Bouknight’s receiver corps helped Utah State establish school records for total offense (5,945 yards), rushing yards (3,675), total points (437) and total touchdowns (60). In 2011, USU’s offense was statistically one of the best in the country as it led the WAC and ranked sixth in the nation in rushing offense (282.69 ypg). USU also ranked first in the WAC and 18th in the nation in passing efficiency (151.8), first in the WAC and 23rd in the nation in scoring offense (33.62 ppg), and second in the WAC and 20th in the nation in total offense (457.31 ypg).

In all, seven different receivers made receptions during the 2011 season including Austin who ranked 21st in the WAC in receiving yards per game (35.77). Austin finished the year leading the team in receptions (34), receiving yards (465) and receiving touchdowns (6), including game-winners in the final minute against both San Jose State and New Mexico State.

In 2010, Bouknight coached a total of nine different wide receivers that had at least one reception, including Dontel Watkins who ranked 15th in the WAC in receiving yards per game (41.0), as well as tying for 15th in receptions per game (3.5).

In 2009, Bouknight helped coach Stanley Morrison, who led USU and ranked 12th in the WAC with 616 yards on 33 receptions (18.7 ypc) with three touchdowns.

Bouknight came to Utah State after one season at his alma mater of Wyoming, where he was offensive graduate assistant, working with the Cowboys’ wide receivers.

Bouknight concluded his college career ranked No. 20 in NCAA history in both career receiving yards (3,626) and career receptions (250). After graduating from Wyoming in the spring of 2006, Bouknight signed a free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers and went to camp with the Panthers in the summer of 2006. He later played in NFL Europe in the summer of 2007, before signing as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers later that summer and attended camp with Tampa in 2007.

During his senior season, he was one of only 15 semifinalists for the 2005 Biletnikoff Award, which honors the nation’s top college receiver each season. He also earned honorable mention All-American honors from College Football News in 2005, along with earning first-team all-Mountain West Conference honors. The College Football News also selected him to its all-MWC first-team. For the 2005 season, he ranked No. 9 in the NCAA in average receiving yards per game (101.45 ypg), No. 15 in total receiving yards (1,116), No. 10 in all-purpose yards (160.45), No. 12 in average receptions per game (7.00), and No. 11 in kickoff returns (27.75). He concluded his career ranked No. 2 in Mountain West history in both receptions (250) and receiving yards (3,626).

In Wyoming school history, Bouknight ranks No. 3 in career receiving yards behind former All-Americans Marcus Harris (No. 1 with 4,518 receiving yards from 1993-96) and Ryan Yarborough (No. 2 with 4,446 from 1990-93). Harris was the 1996 Biletnikoff Award winner. Bouknight ranks No. 2 in school history in career receptions (250), trailing only Harris with 259. Bouknight also completed his career as Wyoming’s all-time all-purpose yardage leader (5,921 yards) and career kickoff return leader (2,016 yards). He caught at least one pass in 47 consecutive games, which was also every game of his college career and is the UW school record. He actually caught at least two passes in each of those 47 career games.

A native of Denver, Colo., Bouknight was an outstanding quarterback at Manual High School in Denver. He received his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and health promotion from Wyoming in 2006.

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