This week's honorees are:
MAC East: Sieh Bangura (Ohio), Demetrius Hardamon (Bowling Green) and Nathanial Vakos (Ohio)
MAC West: Dequan Finn (Toledo), Jordan Riley (Ball State), John Richardson (Northern Illinois)
Sieh Bangura, Ohio, RB
R-Freshman, Bowie, Md. (Dematha Catholic)
Bangura led the Bobcats on the ground, recording 25 carries on 77 yards and scoring two of Ohio's three touchdowns. In the air, the redshirt freshman finished with four receptions and 28 yards.
MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Demetrius Hardamon, Bowling Green, OLB
Junior, Beavercreek, Ohio (Beavercreek)
Hardamon helped lead a team defensive effort in a win over Miami. He Notched five tackles, four of which were solo in the win. Hardamon had a career-high 3.0 tackles for loss and a career-high 2.0 sacks (BGSU had 4.0 sacks). One of his sacks was a strip sack with BGSU recovered. He help spearhead a BGSU defensive effort that held Miami under 200 yards of total offense.
MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Nathanial Vakos, Ohio, Kicker
Freshman, Avon, Ohio (Avon)
Vakos had another successful game for the Bobcats, going 3-for-3 on PATs and 4-for-5 on field goals. The freshman's strong game was highlighted by a 55-yard field goal, marking a personal career high as well as tying him for the third-longest field goal in program history.
MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Dequan Finn, Toledo, Quarterback
Sophomore, Detroit, Mich. (Martin Luther King)
Finn completed 16-of-22 passes for 263 yards and a career-high six TDs to four different receivers in Toledo's 52-31 win over Kent State. Finn's heroics helped Toledo rally from a 21-0 deficit. Finn tied the school record for touchdown passes which is shared by Bruce Gradkowski and Logan Woodside. His six passing touchdowns are tied for the most by an FBS quarterback this season. Finn is the first quarterback in school history to account for at least seven touchdowns (six passing, one rushing) in a game. He also did not commit a turnover. Finn also rushed for a season-high 87 yards and a touchdown. It is the fifth time this season that Finn has rushed for at least 60 yards in a game. He leads the Rockets with 455 rushing yards this season and paces the MAC with 6.4 yards per attempt.
MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Jordan Riley, Ball State, Safety
Sophomore, Clinton, Md. (National Christian Academy)
Jordan Riley had a career-high 14 tackles to help Ball State keep UConn at bay in its third consecutive double-digit comeback. Riley had the key play of the game defensively when he forced a fumble when the game was 21-13 in favor of the Huskies. The Cardinals pounced on the ball and scored four plays later to key the comeback. Riley and the defense shut out UConn in the second half, limiting the Huskies to just 53 yards on 30 plays and induced a pair of turnovers. Riley is 10th in the conference in total tackles and is the only player in the conference to have 57 tackles and seven passes defended this season.
MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week
John Richardson, NIU, Kicker
Junior, Orland Park, Ill. (Brother Rice)
John Richardson made all four of his field goal attempts Saturday at Eastern Michigan, hitting from 41, 39, 28 and 33 yards in NIU's 39-10 win. He hit two field goals in the second quarter to give NIU a 20-7 halftime lead, then added a pair in the second half as the Huskies pulled away to win. Richardson also made all three of his PATs for 15 points, just one shy of his single game career high. Richardson kicked off nine times in the game, often kicking shorter to control field position, with one of his squib kickoffs fumbled and recovered by NIU.