Story courtesy of the Mountain West Conference
Photo courtesy of Wyoming Athletics
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Brett Smith (Wyoming), Blair Burns (Wyoming) and Colin Lockett (San Diego State) are the Mountain West Players of the Week for games through Nov. 3. Smith earns Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Burns garners the Defensive Player award and Lockett receives Special Teams recognition. This marks the fourth career MW weekly accolade for smith and first for both Burns and Lockett.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BRETT SMITH, WYOMING
Sophomore, Quarterback, Salem, Ore./West Salem HS
Sophomore quarterback Brett Smith threw four touchdowns and rushed for one, as the Wyoming offense scored a season-high 45 points in a 45-31 win over Colorado State. Smith completed 19-of-32 passes (59.4 percent) for 235 yards, and rushed for an additional 27 yards for 262 yards of total offense. The Salem, Ore., native threw TD passes of 26, 16, nine and three yards, while his rushing TD was a five-yard dash. Smith helped Wyoming convert 15-of-20 third downs and was personally involved in 10 of those 15 third-down conversions, eight by passes and two more by rushing. Smith and his Cowboy offense also cashed in on a perfect 5-of-5 red-zone opportunities.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BLAIR BURNS, WYOMING
Sophomore, Cornerback, Plano, Texas/Plano HS
Sophomore cornerback Blair Burns returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown and added four solo tackles in Wyoming’s 45-31 win over Colorado State. Burns’ 99-yard interception return for a score was the second-longest in school history and tied for the third longest in MW history. With Wyoming leading 14-7 late in the first quarter, CSU had the ball third and goal at the Cowboy nine-yard line. Burns picked off Ram QB Conner Smith in the front left corner of the end zone and returned down the sideline for the touchdown. The product of Plano, Texas also had four solo tackles in the contest. One of his solo tackles came on a third and eight for Colorado State early in the third quarter. Burns tackled the Ram receiver one-yard shy of the first down, and the Wyoming defense would force a fumble on the next play to stop CSU's first drive of the second half.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
COLIN LOCKETT, SAN DIEGO STATE
Junior, KR, Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Bar HS
Junior Colin Lockett had three kick returns for 141 yards (47.0 avg.) in San Diego State’s 21-19 win at then-No. 14 Boise State. The Diamond Bar, Calif., native set the tone for the Aztecs when he returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. It was Lockett’s second kickoff return for a touchdown this season and school-record third of his career. It tied for the longest ever by an Aztec and the first time an SDSU player has returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown since 1979.