Senior defensive end Travis Johnson has been named the 2012 Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year as voted upon by the conference's head football coaches.

Johnson, from San Jose, Calif. (The King's Academy), leads the WAC in tackles for loss with 19 for 106 yards.  He also leads the WAC and is seventh nationally in sacks with 12 for a loss of 66 yards.  Johnson became the WAC's all-time leader in sacks with 31 and is fourth all-time in tackles for loss with 46.5.  He has 60 tackles on the season and has forced two fumbles.  San Jose State leads the WAC in sacks and is second in the conference in scoring defense and total defense.  This is San Jose State's second WAC Defensive Player of the Year award as defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert earned the award in 2008.

The 24th-ranked Spartans are playing Bowling Green in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27.