“It feels good,” said the 6-foot-2, 189-pound senior out of Stevensville. “It's a little unexpected, but I'm glad to be up there for sure.”
Johnson, who sat out last season with a torn knee ligament, came back to lead the Big Sky Conference and rank second in FCS in punting this season, with a 44.6-yard average. That earned him a first team all-Big Sky selection and now, a third team selection to the AP All-America squad.
That award is announced Thursday evening.
Johnson was a second team all-Big Sky pick as a junior in 2005, averaging 41 yards a punt. Then he was injured in UM's 2006 opener at Iowa. He ended up taking a medical redshirt and undergoing surgery.
“From what all the docs told me, I was going to be good as new after eight months,” Johnson said Wednesday. “It (the injury) was at the beginning of the year. I thought, ‘Well, perfect timing. I'll get rehabbed up and see if the team wants me back.' ”
Johnson spent much of spring ball in a brace, which he was able to discard toward the end of July. He averaged 46 and 48 yards a punt in Montana's first two games in 2007, then slumped a bit before finishing with a flourish.
“I worked hard in the offseason on my technique,” Johnson said. “I think that was the main thing about me kicking the ball better this year. And Dan was able to help me with stuff. He's watched me punt for five years, and he can tell when I'm doing stuff wrong. He helped me out about halfway through the season, and from then on I was good.”
Johnson averaged 48.3 yards a punt over Montana's final five games. His next goal is to try to take that big leg to the NFL.
“I'd like to take a shot at that,” said the senior, who just finished his last final to sew up his business degree Wednesday morning. “I'm not putting all my eggs in that basket, but I'm definitely going to give it my best shot.”
Carpenter, out of Helena, scored 101 points this season and ended up with 413 for this career. His 75 field goals are also an FCS record.
Biermann's stat line includes 18 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks.
In all, 11 Big Sky Conference players were tabbed All-America by the AP, with Montana State linebacker Bobby Daly, a 215-pound junior out of Helena, and Portland State center Brennan Carvalho joining Biermann on the first team. Carvalho made the AP first team last season as well, at guard.
Joining Carpenter on the second team were Eastern Washington's Aaron Boyce and Greg Peach at receiver and defensive end, and Weber State guard David Hale. Joining Johnson on the third team were Eastern offensive lineman Matt Alfred, PSU receiver Tremayne Kirkland and Northern Arizona cornerback K.J. Gerard.
AP FCS All-America Team
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Quarterback - Ricky Santos, senior, 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, New Hampshire.
Running backs - Omar Cuff, senior, 5-10, 195, Delaware; Jayson Foster, senior, 5-9, 164, Georgia Southern.
Wide receivers - Ramses Barden, junior 6-6, 228, Cal Poly; Terrell Hudgins, junior, 6-2, 226, Elon.
Linemen - Kerry Brown, senior, 6-6, 290, Appalachian State; Chad Rinehart, senior, 6-5, 310, Northern Iowa; Mitch Erickson, senior, 6-6, 290, South Dakota State; Brennan Carvalho, 6-1, 310, senior, Portland State; Demetrius Bell, senior, 6-5, 263, Northwestern State.
Tight end - Blake Martin, senior, 6-3, 235, Sam Houston State.
All-purpose player - Jeremy Gilchrist, junior, 5-10, 174, Hampton.
Kicker - Jon Striefsky, junior, 6-1, 185, Delaware.
Defense
Linemen - Kroy Biermann, senior, 6-3, 241, Montana; Eric Bakhtiari, senior, 6-4, 260, San Diego; Bryan Smith, 6-2, 230, McNeese State; Brian Johnston, 6-5, 280, Gardner-Webb.
Linebackers - Bobby Daly, junior, 6-1, 215, Montana State; Brian Bradford, senior, 6-2, 235, Towson; Brannon Carter, senior, 6-3, 233, Northern Iowa.
Defensive backs - Tony LeZotte, senior, 6-0, 200, James Madison; Corey Lynch, senior, 6-0, 205, Appalachian State; Bobbie Williams, senior, 6-1, 210, Bethune-Cookman; Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, senior, 6-2, 180, Tennessee State.
Punter - Chris MacDonald, senior, 6-4, 215, Texas State.
SECOND TEAM
Offense
Quarterback - Josh Johnson, senior, San Diego.
Running backs - Tim Hightower, senior, Richmond; Tyler Roehl, junior, North Dakota State
Wide receivers - Eddie Cohen, senior, Western Carolina; Aaron Boyce, sophomore, Eastern Washington
Offensive linemen - Nate Safe, senior, North Dakota State; Matt Austin, senior, Massachusetts; Jesse Padilla, senior, Lafayette; David Hale, senior, Weber State; Brad Samsa, junior, Youngstown State.
Tight end - Matt Champa, senior, Dayton.
All-purpose player - Larry Shipp, senior, Tennessee Tech
Kicker - Dan Carpenter, senior, Montana.
Defense
Defensive line - Kendall Langford, senior, Hampton; Rudolph Hardie, senior, Howard; Jovan Belcher, junior, Maine; Greg Peach, junior, Eastern Washington.
Linebackers - Mike Gallihugh, senior, Colgate; Zach East, senior, Prairie View A&M; Jason Williams, junior, Western Illinois.
Defensive backs - Kareem Moore, senior, Nicholls State; Derrick Huff, senior, Eastern Kentucky; LaDarius Webb, junior, Nicholls State; Al Donaldson, junior, Alabama A&M.
Punter - Benjamin Dato, senior, Fordham.
THIRD TEAM
Offense
Quarterback - Eric Sanders, senior, Northern Iowa.
Running backs - Herb Donaldson, junior, Western Illinois; Mike McLeod, senior, Yale.
Wide receivers - Tremayne Kirkland, senior, Portland State; Andre Roberts, freshman, Citadel.
Linemen - Mike Byrne, senior, Delaware; Stephen Field, junior, Cal Poly; Matt Alfred, senior, Eastern Washington; James Lee, senior, South Carolina State; Brandon Keith, senior, Northern Iowa.
Tight end - Clay Harbor, sophomore, Missouri State.
All-purpose player - J.T. Rogan, junior, San Diego.
Kicker - Gavin Halliford, junior, Jacksonville State.
Defense
Linemen - Marcus Dixon, senior, Hampton; Pierre Walters, junior, Eastern Illinois; Robert Brown, junior, Wagner; Gary Tharrington, sophomore, Appalachian State.
Linebackers - Joe Mays, senior, North Dakota State; Jason Hatchell, senior, Massachusetts; Ronnie McCullogh, senior, Bethune-Cookman.
Defensive backs - Steven Williams, senior, Harvard; Tyler Koch, senior, South Dakota State; David Hyland, junior, Morehead State; K.J. Gerard, junior, Northern Arizona.
Punter - Tyson Johnson, senior, Montana.
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