This week's honorees are:
MAC East: Miles Cross (Ohio), Devin Grant (Buffalo), Alex McNulty (Buffalo)
MAC West: Antario Brown (Northern Illinois), Joe Sparacio (Eastern Michigan), Luke Pawlak (Toledo)
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Miles Cross, Ohio, WR
Junior, Bowie, Md. (Rock Hill High School (S.C.))
Junior wide receiver Miles Cross blazed the trail for the Bobcats this Saturday, scoring two of Ohio's six touchdowns in their 42-17 victory over Kent State. He led the receivers with a season-best 125 yards on seven receptions.
MAC Football East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Devin Grant, Buffalo, S
Sophomore, Elmont, NY
Devin Grant had three interceptions, including two pick-sixes in Buffalo's 37-13 win over Central Michigan. The sophomore safety returned interceptions 29 yards and 58 yards for touchdowns in the game. His first pick six came on CMU's third offensive play of the game, setting the tone for the Bulls. His second pick six came on the Chippewas' first possession of the second half, icing the game for UB. Grant tied the program record for interceptions in a game and became the first Bull to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game.
MAC Football East Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Alex McNulty, Buffalo, K
Graduate, Caledonia, NY
On a blustery day at UB Stadium, kicker Alex McNulty made three of four field goal attempts in Buffalo's 38-13 win over Central Michigan. The graduate kicker connected on field goals of 19, 44 and 48 yards. He made all four PATs. In addition, all seven of McNulty's kickoffs went for touchbacks.
MAC Football West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Antario Brown, NIU, RB
Junior, Savannah, Ga. (Beach)
While playing less than 2 ½ quarters of NIU’s 55-14 win over Akron on Saturday, NIU junior Antario Brown ran for a career high 280 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries to tie Kentucky’s Ray Davis for the most rushing yards by a Football Bowl Subdivision player this season. Brown had touchdown runs of 66, 58, 46 and 50 yards to become just the sixth player in NIU history to run for 280 or more yards in a game. He had the most rushing yards by a Huskie in 10 seasons - since Jordan Lynch ran for 321 yards versus Western Michigan on November 26, 2013. His average of 21.5 yards per rush broke the NIU record of 17.6, set by Stacey Robinson versus Cincinnati on November 18, 1989 (minimum 10 attempts). Brown’s four touchdowns were the most by a Huskie since Joel Bouagnon scored five rushing touchdowns versus Bowling Green on November 1, 2016. His first touchdown – on a 66-yard run – gave NIU a 14-7 lead in the second quarter; his last – with 9:07 to play in the third period – put NIU ahead 48-7 and was his last carry of the game.
MAC Football West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Joe Sparacio, Eastern Michigan, LB
Graduate, Naples, Fla. (First Baptist Academy)
Joe Sparacio had a team-high nine tackles in Eastern Michigan’s 24-10 win over Ball State and continues to lead the MAC in tackling with 11.5 stops per game. Ranks fifth nationally in tackles per game average, Sparacio added a third-down sack to force a punt and was credited with a quarterback hurry on fourth down, one of three tops the defense made on BSU fourth-down attempts (0-for-3 on the day). Sparacio, who has led the team in tackling in 5-of-6 games this season, has recorded at least eight tackles in every game played this season and needs four more to reach 200 for his collegiate career. With six solo tackles against the Cardinals, Sparacio also brought his career solo tackle total to 100.
MAC Football West Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Luke Pawlak, Toledo, PK
Junior, Sylvania, Ohio (Northview)
Luke Pawlak had a perfect day in Toledo's 41-24 win at UMass, making both of his field-goal attempts and going 5-5 on extra points. He had field goals of 38 and 36 yards, and also kicked off eight times with three touchbacks.