BOZEMAN — Montana State senior co-captains Jody Owens and Caleb Schreibeis added hardware to their collections on Monday, with each earning First Team All-America honors from The Sports Network.

Bobcat coach Rob Ash lauded the duo for their efforts on the field and off. “These two young men have represented their university and their teammates and coaches in a first-rate manner at all times,” he said. “They’ve each shown tremendous growth as people and as football players in their time at Montana State, and I’m very proud of them. We have a lot of players in our program that we consider All-Americas, and Caleb and Jody are very, very deserving.”

A two-time All-America, Owens earned second team honors as a junior, and the Mesquite, Tex., native becomes just the sixth Bobcat to earn first-, second- or third-team All-America honors more than once. He is the first since Jeff Bolton in 2004 and ’05, and Owens’ position coach Kane Ioane is also on that list.

Owens’ senior season was one to remember. In addition to All-America status Owens earned Big Sky Defensive MVP honors, and was selected unanimous First Team All-Big Sky for the second straight season. He led the Bobcats with 97 tackles, 15.5 of which came behind the line of scrimmage. He also forced five fumbles, hurrying the quarterback twice and breaking up one pass.

“Jody will always be special because he was one of the first players to say yes when we began recruiting Texas,” said Bobcat coach Rob Ash. “He’s grown up in our program, and has become a model teammate and team leader. He was a little undersized when he came here, but has worked very hard to become bigger and stronger, and that work has paid dividends.”

Schreibeis earned his first All-America honors Monday.  The 6-3, 252, senior from Billings becomes the fourth Bobcat defensive lineman in the past four seasons to earn First, Second or Third Team All-America honors. Under the tutelage of defensive line coach Bo Beck, MSU’s defensive front has enhanced its status as one of the top position groups in the FCS.

The nation’s leader with eight forced fumbles this season, Schreibeis also led the Big Sky Conference with 12.5 sacks while posting 15 tackles-for-loss. That forced fumbles figure is a school record, and his 2012 sack total matches that of teammate Brad Daly a year ago as the fifth-best mark in school history.

“Caleb had such a huge impact on our program,” Ash said. “He is as hard a worker as I’ve ever been around, and he elevates the entire defense with his effort. He has been a productive player ever since he became a Bobcat, and his senior season was really fabulous. Caleb came here as a walk-on, and has earned everything that comes his way. He is another player that came here on faith, believing in what we could accomplish. Caleb is a great story, and he’s a great Bobcat.”

Schreibeis is the third Bobcat to earn All-America honors this season, joining Owens and quarterback DeNarius McGhee, who were each honored as First Team AFCA All-Americas.

— MSU Sports Information