Nov. 28, 2011
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -
Tim Jefferson (Air Force), Chris Nwoke (Colorado State), Alex Means (Air Force), Travis Stanaway (Boise State) and Austin McCoy (Wyoming) are the Mountain West Players of the Week for games through Nov. 26. Jefferson is being presented with the honor for the fourth time in his career, while McCoy is receiving the accolade for the third time. Means and Nwoke have both received the honor twice, while Stanaway is being recognized for the award for the first time in his career.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
TIM JEFFERSON, AIR FORCE
Senior, Quarterback, Atlanta, Ga./Woodward Academy
Tim Jefferson completed 9-of-12 passes for 221 yards and tied a career-high with three touchdown passes Air Force's 45-21 win at Colorado State. In helping Air Force become bowl eligible for the fifth time in five years under coach Troy Calhoun, Jefferson also rushed for 38 yards on four carries and had a 43-yard punt. Two of his rushes went for first downs, while eight of his nine completions went for first downs or touchdowns. Jefferson is the first quarterback in Air Force history to throw 10 or more touchdown passes in consecutive seasons.
CHRIS NWOKE, COLORADO STATE
Sophomore, Running Back, Highlands Ranch, Colo./ThunderRidge HS
Chris Nwoke posted his second 200-yard rushing performance of the season last Saturday against Air Force, finishing with a career-best 269 yards and two touchdowns. Nwoke, who averaged 9.3 yards on 29 carries, set a new Mountain West record for most rushing yards in a Conference game while also recording the third-highest single-game tally in the FBS this season. His rushing total also established a Hughes Stadium record that spanned 227 games since the venue's opening in 1968. Nwoke became the first player in CSU history with multiple 200-yard games in the same season and the first Ram running back to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark since Gartrell Johnson in 2008.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
ALEX MEANS, AIR FORCE
Junior, Linebacker, Mankato, Minn./Mankato East
Alex Means recorded five total tackles (four unassisted), including a career-high two quarterback sacks, and forced a career-high two fumbles in Air Force's 45-21 win at Colorado State. Both of Means' forced fumbles resulted in turnovers in Air Force territory, including one in the red zone. The Falcons converted one of the turnovers into a touchdown. His two sacks gave him a team-leading six on the season.
TRAVIS STANAWAY, BOISE STATE
Senior, Safety, Clyde Hill, Wash./Bellevue HS
Travis Stanaway, making just the second start of his career for Boise State, recorded a career-high nine tackles (eight unassisted), forced a fumble and intercepted the first pass of his career as a Bronco in the team's 36-14 win over Wyoming. Stanaway led a defense that held the Cowboys to season-lows of 191 yards of total offense and 14 points.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
AUSTIN MCCOY, WYOMING
Senior, Punter, Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven HS
Austin McCoy placed two punts inside the 10-yard line and a third inside the 20-yard line in the first half of Saturday's game at Boise State. His first punt covered 52 yards and was downed on the Boise State 4-yard line. He followed up that punt with a 55-yard effort that was downed on the Boise State 3. In the second quarter, McCoy recorded a 48-yard punt that was fielded at the BSU seven-yard line. He had two punts covering 42 yards in the second half, finishing with an average of 43.7 yards.
