Turbin shafted by the WAC?

He’s undeniably one of the toughest, fastest and most explosive running backs in the country.

But when it comes to the Western Athletic Conference, Robert Turbin is only a second teamer.

When the WAC announced its all-conference teams on Monday, Turbin was on the second team despite running for 1,296 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore.

While it may seem Turbin was overlooked, or even disrespected, by WAC coaches a look at the conference leaders explains Turbin’s spot on the second team.

Fresno State’s Ryan Matthews was the nation’s leading rusher with 151.27 yards per game. Nevada’s Vai Taua ran for 1,345 yards in only 11 games. His average of 122.27 yards per game was ninth best in the nation and undoubtedly would have been higher had the Wolf Pack not had a running attack that also featured the No. 4 and No. 9 rushers in the conference.

Turbin is an amazing athlete. And while his second-team selection might feel like a snub to some, it would have been a bigger snub to keep Matthews or Taua out of the two-person first-team at running back. Earning first-team honors next year won’t be easy for Turbin — Matthews and Taua were just juniors this year.

It was a tough year for the Aggies to crack the all-conference team. The only other USU player to find his name on the list was linebacker Bobby Wagner.

The undersized sophomore earned first-team honors after leading USU and the WAC with 114 tackles. He also had a pair of interceptions.