MAC announces Week Seven POTW

The Mid-American Conference on  Monday announced its Week Seven MAC Football Players of the week. 
This week’s East Division honorees are: Matt Johnson (Bowling Green), Nick Cuthbert (Kent State) and Anthony Melchiori (Kent State). 
The MAC West Division honorees are: Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan), Bobby Jones (Northern Illinois) and Ja’Wuan Woodley (Toledo).  ​
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East Division
Offensive Player of the Week:  Bowling Green QB Matt Johnson
Bowling Green senior quarterback Matt Johnson (Harrisburg, Pa.) led the Falcons to a 59-10 win over Akron on Saturday, the Falcons largest margin of victory ever in the series with the Zips. Johnson completed 25-of-30 passes for 357 yards and five touchdowns. Johnson, who leads the country with 2,891 passing yards, had as many touchdown passes as he did incompletions. His five touchdown performance marked the third time this season Johnson has passed for at least five touchdowns. That feat had been accomplished just six times prior to the 2015 season in school history, which encompasses 95 seasons.
 
Defensive Player of the Week:  Kent State DB Nick Cuthbert
Kent State junior defensive back Nick Cuthbert (Chesterland, Ohio) intercepted a pass and made five tackles in Kent State’s 15-10 win at UMass.  Cuthbert and the Flashes’ defense held UMass to 171 yards passing, under half of the Minutemen’s average on the season (358.2) heading into the game.  UMass was also held 202 yards under its total yard average heading into the game.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week:  Kent State P Anthony Melchiori
Kent State senior punter Anthony Melchiori (Aurora, Ohio) strung together four straight impressive punts during the fourth quarter in a one-possession game in Kent State’s 15-10 win at UMass. With his back foot just inside the back line of his end zone, Melchiori booted a 55-yard punt early in the fourth quarter.  His next three punts were downed on the UMass one, nine and two yard lines respectively.  In the first three quarters, Melchiori’s punts included a 54-yarder and a pair of fair catches inside the 20.

West Division
Offensive Player of the Week:  Western Michigan RB Jamauri Bogan
Western Michigan redshirt freshman running back Jamauri Bogan (Union, N.J.) ran for a career-high 135 yards on just nine carries in a 49-14 win at Ohio. His 67-yard touchdown run to begin the third quarter was the longest run by a Bronco since 2012. Bogan also had a 40-yard run later in the second half, to help propel Western Michigan’s offense which had 404 rushing yards in the second half alone, and totaled 430 rushing yards for the game, the most by a MAC team this season and 11th most in the country. Bogan teamed with LeVante Bellamy to become the first pair of Bronco players to have 100 yards rushing in the same game since a 2013 game against Nicholls.
 
Defensive Player of the Week:  Northern Illinois LB Bobby Jones
Northern Illinois sophomore linebacker Bobby Jones (Miami Gardens, Fla.) made his first career start and totaled 13 tackles, tying for the most by any Huskie player all season, in a 45-12 win at Miami. Jones had a pair of tackles for losses totaling 11 yards and recorded his first sack of his career when he dropped Miami quarterback Billy Bahl for six yards in the third quarter. He was also credited with a quarterback hurry. The 12 points scored by the RedHawks were the fewest by an FBS team against the Huskies since the last game of the 2012 regular season, a stretch of 34 games. 
 
Special Teams Player of the Week:  Toledo LB Ja’Wuan Woodley
Toledo sophomore linebacker Ja’Wuan Woodley (Columbus, Ohio) made a key play on a blocked field-goal attempt in a 62-20 win over Eastern Michigan.  Woodley’s blocked field goal in the second quarter that senior linebacker Chase Murdock picked up  and raced 45 yards for the Toledo score to make the score 28-6.