Football Week No. 1 POTW

The Mid-American Conference has announced its Week No. 1 Football Players of the Week.

East Division

Offensive Player of the Week:  Akron QB Kyle Pohl
Akron junior quarterback Kyle Pohl (Farmersville, Ohio) led the Zips with a career-high four touchdown passes on 23-of-36 passing for 308 yards in a 41-0 win over Howard on Thursday, Aug. 28th.  Pohl threw three touchdown passes in the first six minutes of action, as each scoring drive was under 38 seconds each. Pohl led all rushers with a career-high 48 yards on seven carries.

Defensive Player of the Week:  Kent State S Nate Holley
Kent State sophomore safety Nate Holley (Toledo, Ohio) had a hand in three defensive turnovers in a 17-14 loss to Ohio on Saturday.  Holley forced two fumbles and recovered another fumble in the second half and collected a total of 18 tackles and one pass defensed for the Golden Flashes defense.

Special Teams Player of the Week:  Ohio K Josiah Yazdani
Junior kicker Josiah Yazdani (Albany, Ohio) connected on a 44-yard field goal as time expired to lift Ohio to a thrilling 17-14 win at Kent State on Saturday night. In addition, to his game-winning field goal, Yazdani was 2-for-2 in extra point attempts and averaged 65.3 yards per kick on kickoffs, recording one touchback. Since taking over as the starting kicker for the Bobcats in 2013, Yazdani has never missed an extra point and is 15-of-16 in field goal attempts.

West Division

Offensive Player of the Week:  Western Michigan RB Jarvion Franklin
Freshman running back Jarvion Franklin (Tinley Park, Ill.) in his first collegiate game had the second-best debut for a running back in Western Michigan history with 163 yards rushing and three rushing touchdowns in a 43-34 loss at Purdue. Franklin ran in touchdowns from five, 26 and 61 yards. His three touchdowns tied him for second in the country in rushing touchdowns and his 163 yards on the ground were the most in the MAC, and the third-most by a freshman on the weekend nationally.

Defensive Player of the Week:  Central Michigan DB Tony Annese
Sophomore defensive back Tony Annese (Hartland, Mich.) led a defense that limited Chattanooga to 29 total yards in the second half, including just six passing yards, in a 20-16 win last Thursday. Annese grabbed a pair of interceptions and two tackles in the win, one on the second play of the game and the second with 1:40 left in the game to seal the victory. He is the first Chippewa player since Jahleel Addae in 2011 to grab two interceptions in a game.

Special Teams Player of the Week:  Eastern Michigan LB Nathan Adams
Sophomore linebacker Nathan Adams (Crozier, Va.) found a crease in the special teams blocking scheme in the first quarter and blocked a Morgan State punt and picked it up and ran into the end zone for a touchdown in a 31-28 win.  The score was the first of his collegiate career and it was the first blocked punt by an Eagle since 2011.  The blocked punt return touchdown marked the third in team history dating back to the 1967 season.