MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WEEK SIX
FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE AND SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
East Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Kent State RB Trayion Durham
Sophomore running back Trayion Durham (Cincinnati, Ohio) ran for a career-high 116 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, all in the first three quarters as Kent State defeated Eastern Michigan 41-14. In his last two games, Durham has 207 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Defensive Player of the Week: Bowling Green DB Ryland Ward
Sophomore defensive back Ryland Ward (Columbus, Ohio) had five tackles and a forced fumble as the Falcons won 24-10 at Akron, holding the league’s No. 1 offense to just 10 points and 316 yards of total offense. Ward’s biggest play was one of the turning points in the game. With Bowling Green already trailing 7-0, Ward forced a fumble at the Falcons 3-yard line as Akron was marching towards the end zone and a potential 14-0 advantage.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Ohio KR Daz’ Patterson
Freshman kick returner Daz’ Patterson (Plant City, Fla.) gave the Bobcats their first points of the afternoon against Buffalo as he took a kickoff 100 yards the other way for his first career touchdown to cut the Bulls’ lead in half at 14-7. Patterson’s touchdown tied the school record for longest kickoff return. It was also the Bobcats’ first kickoff return for touchdown since Chris Garrett did so back in 2009. Patterson finished the afternoon with 126 kickoff return yards.
West Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch
Junior quarterback Jordan Lynch (Chicago, Ill.) continued his stellar season by rushing for a career high 207 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns, and passing for 195 yards on 16-of-23 passing with one score, to lead Northern Illinois to its fifth straight win with a 35-23 win at Ball State. Lynch scored on runs of 29, 12 and 71 yards, and hit Akeem Daniels with a 54-yard game-winning touchdown pass with 4:58 to play. His 71-yard run on the quarterback draw came with NIU clinging to a 28-23 lead on third-and-seven from the NIU 29 and clinched the win. Lynch totaled 402 yards of total offense on 52 plays with four touchdowns to average 7.7 yards per play. Lynch recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing day and his fifth 100-yard game of the season.
Defensive Player of the Week: Western Michigan DE Freddie Bishop
Senior defensive end Freddie Bishop (Inkster, Mich.) was everywhere for the Bronco defense in a 52-14 win over UMass. The senior chipped in eight total tackles (three solo) with 2.0 tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks in the first half alone. Bishop registered one of three team QB Hurries against the Minutemen and added a pass break up from his defensive end position. Bishop's eight tackles and 1.5 sacks matched career highs.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Toledo KR Bernard Reedy
Junior kick returner Bernard Reedy (St. Petersburg, Fla.) returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown at the start of the second half to give Toledo a 24-21 lead over Central Michigan. Reedy had 107 yards in punt returns and 94 yards in kickoff returns for the Rockets in a 50-35 win. Reedy finished the game with a collegiate-best 293 all-purpose yards, tied for the fourth most in a game in school history.