Courtesy of the Mountain West Conference
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Guy Miller (Colorado State), Ronnie Hillman (San Diego State) and Andy Dalton and Jeremy Kerley (TCU) are the Mountain West Conference Players of the Week for games through Oct. 16. Dalton and Hillman share Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Miller garners the Defensive Player award and Kerley earns Special Teams recognition. This marks the fifth career player of the week honor for Dalton, the fourth weekly accolade for Kerley, the third for Hillman and the first for Miller.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
RONNIE HILLMAN, SAN DIEGO STATE
Freshman, Running Back, La Habra, Calif./ La Habra HS
Ronnie Hillman led San Diego State to a 27-25 victory over 23rd-ranked Air Force, rushing for two touchdowns to help the Aztecs post their first win over a ranked team in 14 years. The La Habra, Calif., native used 24 carries to amass 191 rushing yards, the most by an MWC player in Conference action this season. With 8:39 remaining in the second quarter, Hillman ran for a 65-yard touchdown to give SDSU a 7-0 lead. The Aztecs held a two-point advantage late in the fourth quarter until Hillman broke free for a 44-yard score to put SDSU ahead, 27-18, with two minutes remaining. Hillman, who averaged eight yards per carry, helped the Aztecs move the ball on the ground throughout the contest, accounting for seven of the team’s 16 first downs.
ANDY DALTON, TCU
Senior, Quarterback, Katy, Texas/Katy HS
Andy Dalton accounted for 289 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in No. 4 TCU’s 31-3 win over BYU. Dalton completed 24-of-36 passes for a season-high 273 yards, while also tying a single-game career high with four scores. The Katy, Texas, product threw a pair of touchdowns in the final 1:30 of the first half, connecting with Josh Boyce on a 35-yard score and Jimmy Young on a 14-yard reception, to give the Horned Frogs a 17-0 halftime lead. Dalton secured the TCU victory in the fourth quarter, finding Boyce for a 20-yard touchdown at the 10:03 mark, before connecting with Jeremy Kerley for a 21-yard score with 4:26 remaining.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
GUY MILLER, COLORADO STATE
Senior, DT, Scotty City, Kan./Scott HS
Guy Miller registered eight tackles (four solo stops), 4.5 sacks (-42 yards) and five tackles for loss to aid Colorado State’s 43-10 win over UNLV. Miller set new school and MWC records with his 4.5 sacks, while helping CSU to its first Conference victory since Nov. 22, 2008. The Scott City, Kan., native eclipsed the program record of four quarterback takedowns, which was previously shared by former Rams Brady Smith and Mike Bell. Miller’s 4.5 sacks also tie for the most nationally in a single game this season. Two of Miller’s sacks came on UNLV fourth-down attempts.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JEREMY KERLEY, TCU
Senior, Punt Returner/Kick Returner, Hutto, Texas/Hutto HS
Jeremy Kerley tallied 137 total return yards in No. 4 TCU’s 31-3 victory over BYU. Kerley helped the Horned Frogs establish field position throughout the contest, returning two kickoffs for 81 yards (40.5 avg.) and four punts for 56 yards (14.0 avg.). With 1:14 remaining in the third quarter, the Hutto, Texas, native recorded his best return of the day, returning Riley Stephenson’s kickoff 52 yards to the BYU 39-yard line. Kerley added five receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown to finish the contest with 162 all-purpose yards.