Sept. 20, 2010
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -
Ronnie Hillman (San Diego State), Andy Dalton (TCU) and Lamar Chapman and Shaky Smithson (Utah) are Mountain West Conference Players of the Week for games through Sept. 18. Hillman and Dalton share the Offensive Player of the Week honor, while Chapman garners the Defensive Player award and Smithson receives Special Teams recognition. This marks the fourth career player of the week honor for Dalton, the second for both Hillman and Smithson and the first weekly accolade for Chapman.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
RONNIE HILLMAN, SAN DIEGO STATE
Freshman, Running Back, La Habra, Calif./La Habra HS
Ronnie Hillman rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in San Diego State's 27-24 loss at No. 25 Missouri on Saturday. Hillman, who scampered for touchdown runs of 75 and 93 yards, averaged 9.9 yards per carry against the Tigers. The La Habra, Calif., native became the first Aztec player to run for over 200 yards in a game in seven years, while also setting a new MWC freshman single-game rushing record. His 93-yard touchdown run ranks first in the country this season and marks the third-longest rush in Conference history, while also setting the MWC freshman record in that category. His 228 net rushing yards also are the fourth-most in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2010 and most by a freshman. Hillman is the first SDSU player to have back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Atiyyah Henderson accomplished the feat in 2006.
ANDY DALTON, TCU
Senior, Quarterback, Katy, Texas/Katy HS
Andy Dalton accounted for 293 yard of total offense and two touchdowns in TCU's 45-10 win over Baylor. Dalton completed 21-of-23 passes for 267 yards and two scores while adding 26 yards on four carries on the ground. Dalton's 91.3 completion percentage is a MWC record and is tied for the highest mark by a Football Bowl Subdivision passer with a minimum of 20 attempts since 2004. Dalton, who guided a Horned Frogs attack that notched a season-high 558 yards of total offense, began the contest by completing his first 11 passes, which set a new career high competitions streak for the senior signal caller.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
LAMAR CHAPMAN, UTAH
Junior, Defensive Back, Compton, Calif./El Camino JC
Lamar Chapman recorded a team-high eight tackles, including seven solo stops, two tackles for loss and one sack to aid Utah's 56-14 victory at New Mexico. Chapman tallied two tackles for a loss of 10 yards, while also recording one sack for a loss of seven yards to help the Utes improve to 2-0 in MWC play. The junior defensive back from Compton, Calif., keyed a Utah defensive effort that limited the Lobos to one touchdown and 230 total yards of total offense on 72 plays.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
SHAKY SMITHSON, UTAH
Senior, Wide Receiver/Punt Returner, Baltimore, Md./East Los Angeles CC
Shaky Smithson returned four punts for 140 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown, to help Utah improve to 3-0. Smithson, who topped the 100-yard mark and returned a punt for a touchdown for the second straight game, averaged 35.0 yards per return. His combined 140 yards on punt returns are the third-most by a Ute in a single game and fourth-most in MWC history. With 9:48 remaining in the third quarter, Smithson recorded his best return of the evening, finding the end zone after a 73-yard scamper to put Utah ahead, 42-7. Smithson also tallied two kickoff returns for 83 yards (41.5 avg.), finishing the contest with 223 total return yards.
