MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WEEK NINE
FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE AND SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
For Immediate Release--Monday, Oct. 31, 2011
East Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Miami QB Zac Dysert
Junior quarterback Zac Dysert (Ada, Ohio) completed 80 percent of his passes (20-for-25), throwing for 313 yards and a record-tying five touchdowns in a convincing 41-13 victory over Buffalo. Dysert now has 7,166 career passing yards, ranking second behind only RedHawk legend Ben Roethlisberger (10,829). Zac also became the 21st quarterback in Mid-American Conference history to top the 7,000-yard mark and currently sets in 20th place on that list.
Defensive Player of the Week: Kent State LB Luke Batton
Junior linebacker Luke Batton (Macedonia, Ohio) helped the Golden Flashes defense hold Bowling Green without a touchdown in all four Falcon trips to the redzone in a 27-15 win over the Falcons. Batton tallied 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss with a pass breakup and one quarterback hurry.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Kent State K Freddy Cortez
Junior kicker Freddy Cortez (Fort Meade, Fla.) went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, including a 44-yarder to put the Flashes on the board during the game’s opening drive in a 27-15 win over Bowling Green. Cortez had one kickoff for a touchback and two other kickoffs resulting in tackles inside the 20. He also went 3-for-3 on extra point attempts.
West Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Western Michigan WR Jordan White
Senior wide receiver Jordan White (Cleveland, Ohio) became Western Michigan's career receptions leader in a 45-35 win over Ball State with nine catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns. White holds the record with 261 career receptions and is over 1,000 yards for the season (1,164), making him only the third Bronco receiver to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in program history (Greg Jennings, Steve Neal). White now ranks seventh in career receptions (261), 10th in career receiving yards (3,440) and 16th in career receiving TDs (24) in MAC history. His 17th 100-yard receiving games also tied Greg Jennings for the career record.
Defensive Player of the Week: Western Michigan R Johnnie Simon
Sophomore rover Johnnie Simon (West Palm Beach, Fla.) led the Broncos defensively with 10 tackles, a pass break up, two QB Hurries and his second career interception in a 45-35 win over Ball State. Simon has now registered three straight games with 10 or more tackles and has five total in 2011.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Central Michigan K David Harman
Junior kicker David Harman (Traverse City, Mich.) kicked a career-high three field goals and accounted for nearly half of Central Michigan's points in a 23-22 win at Akron. Harman stretched to 10 his streak of consecutive field goals made, a streak that dates back to Oct. 1. He is now 12-for-14 on field goals this season and 23-for-23 on point-after attempts.