
East Division POTW are: Roger Lewis (Bowling Green), Demetrius Monday (Kent State) and Tyler Grassman (Buffalo).
West Division POTW are: Kareem Hunt (Toledo), Shawun Lurry (Northern Illinois) and Jameson Vest (Toledo).
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Offensive Player of the Week: Bowling Green WR Roger Lewis
Bowling Green sophomore wide receiver Roger Lewis (Pickerington, Ohio) exploded against a Memphis defense which had allowed just 272 yards through the air in their first two games of the season, catching seven passes for a career-high 261 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday in a 44-41 loss. Lewis’ 261 yards receiving were second-most in school history and seventh most in MAC history for a single game. His three touchdown performance marked a career-high for the sophomore and the first such performance since the 2013 season at Bowling Green. Lewis now leads the nation with 510 receiving yards through three games, and became the first player in Bowling Green football’s 96-year history to have consecutive 200-yard receiving games.
Defensive Player of the Week: Kent State DB Demetrius Monday
Kent State sophomore defensive back Demetrius Monday (Douglasville, Ga.) forced three turnovers, including a fumble that he forced, recovered and returned 80 yards for Kent State’s only touchdown in a 10-7 loss at Minnesota. Monday intercepted two passes in the first half, leaping up in 1-on-1 coverage on both plays. He also made four tackles.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Buffalo P Tyler Grassman
Buffalo senior punter Tyler Grassman (Columbus, Ohio) averaged 38.8 yards on nine punts in a 33-15 win at Florida Atlantic. The senior punter had a long of 53 yards. In the third quarter, he bombed a 51-yard punt that went out of bounds inside the one-yard line. On the very next play the Bulls stopped FAU in the end zone for a safety. Grassman also handled kickoff duties and three of his seven kickoffs went for touchbacks.
West Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Toledo RB Kareem Hunt
Toledo junior running back Kareem Hunt (Willoughby, Ohio) saw his first action of the season and carried the ball 24 times for 129 yards, eclipsing the century mark for the 12th-straight game in a 30-23 (2OT) win over Iowa State. Hunt had runs of 39 and 34 yards in the home victory.
Defensive Player of the Week: Northern Illinois DB Shawun Lurry
Northern Illinois sophomore defensive back Shawun Lurry (West Palm Beach, Fla.) led an outstanding defensive effort for the Huskies in Saturday’s 20-13 loss to No. 1 Ohio State. Lurry intercepted two passes in the first half to set up all 10 of NIU’s first half points.
His interception and 33-yard runback on Ohio State’s first possession of the game gave NIU field position at the OSU 22 yard-line. Three plays later, NIU took a 7-0 lead. Then, with NIU leading 7-3, Lurry intercepted OSU’s Cardale Jones again and his 12-yard return set the Huskie offense up at the Buckeyes’ 29-yard line. Three plays later, Christian Hagan kicked a 38-yard field goal to put the Huskies ahead 10-3 at the 12:20 mark of the second quarter.
In addition to the two INTs for 45 return yards, Lurry made two huge pass break-ups and two solo tackles in the game. His first PBU came on fourth down and four for OSU from the NIU 31-yard line to stop a Buckeyes’ drive. His second helped the Huskies force a three-and-out in the fourth-quarter. NIU became the first defense to hold an Urban Meyer-coached Ohio State team to less than 300 yards in Ohio Stadium and the Buckeyes’ 13-point offensive output (not including the interception return score) was the lowest of the Meyer era overall.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Toledo K Jameson Vest
Toledo freshman kicker Jameson Vest (Peachtree City, Ga.) booted a season-high three field goals in a 30-23 (2OT) win over Iowa State. Vest converted from 30 yards in the first period, 19 yards in the second and a season-best 42 yards in overtime that tied the game at 23-23.