Oct. 31, 2011
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -
Brett Smith (Wyoming), Ronnie Hillman (San Diego State), James Dunlap UNLV), Jonathan Anderson (TCU) and Deante' Purvis (UNLV) are the Mountain West Players of the Week for games through Oct. 29. Hillman is being honored for a sixth time, while Purvis is being recognized for the second time. Smith, Dunlap and Anderson are being presented with the honor for the first time in their careers.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
BRETT SMITH, WYOMING
Freshman, Quarterback, Salem, Ore../West Salem HS
Brett Smith threw for a personal best 341 yards and accounted for a career-high 365 yards of total offense in the Wyoming's 30-27 win at San Diego State. Smith, a true freshman, threw touchdown passes of 26 and 11 yards and scored on runs of 2 and 20 yards while completing 69.4 percent of his passes (25-of-36) on the day. He led the Cowboys to scoring drives on five of their six first-half possessions.
RONNIE HILLMAN, SAN DIEGO STATE
Sophomore, Running Back, La Habra, Calif./La Habra HS
Ronnie Hillman, the nation's leading rusher (151.0 ypg), carried the ball 25 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns in San Diego State's 30-27 loss to Wyoming. His 99-yard touchdown in the third quarter is the longest rush in the nation in 2011 and is also the longest in MW history. Hillman, who also had a 71-yard touchdown reception, finished with a career-high 305 all-purpose yards, establishing a new MW single-game record for most all-purpose yards in a Conference contest.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
JAMES DUNLAP, UNLV
Senior, Defensive Lineman, Pasadena, Calif./Citrus College
James Dunlap had a career-high 4.5 tackles for a loss, two quarterback sacks, seven tackles (five solo) and a forced fumble in UNLV's 38-35 win over Colorado State. Dunlap was part of a key play in the second quarter when he teamed with Nate Holloway to stop Ram running back Chris Nwoke in the backfield on third-and goal, forcing the Rams to settle for a field goal.
JONATHAN ANDERSON, TCU
Freshman, Safety, Corpus Christi, Texas/Carroll HS
Jonathan Anderson finished with a career-high and team-best 17 tackles (11 solo) and recorded his first career interception in TCU's 38-28 non-conference win over BYU. Anderson, who came off the bench to replace the team's leading tackler, Tekerrein Cuba, posted TCU's highest tackle total since 2004.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DEANTE' PURVIS, UNLV
Senior, Cornerback/Kick Returner, Pinole, Calif./Pinole Valley HS
Deante' Purvis registered 202 yards on five kick returns (40.4 avg) in UNLV's 38-35 win over Colorado State. The Pinole, Calif., native posted the longest return of his career, and second-longest in school history, in the first quarter when he went 98 yards for a touchdown. Purvis' 98-yard run tied the MW single-game record for longest kick return by a senior, as well as the longest in the Mountain West this season. With his performance against the Rams, Purvis became the league's all-time leader in kick returns (88) and kickoff return yardage (2,110).
