Mid-American Conference

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WEEK NINE
FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE, SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
 
East Division:
Offensive Player of the Week: Akron QB Thomas Woodson
Akron senior quarterback Thomas Woodson (Monroeville, Pa.) was 21-29 passing for a season-high 286 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-20 win over Buffalo. With his 286 passing yards, Woodson moved into second place on the Akron career list with 6,829 passing yards (Charlie Frye, 2001-04, 11,049 career yards). Woodson is also No. 2 in career passing touchdowns with 53 career touchdowns (Charlie Frye, 64). In nine starts this season, Woodson is 154-of-264 for 1,747 yards and 14 touchdowns.
 
Defensive Player of the Week: Buffalo DB Tim Roberts
Buffalo senior defensive back Tim Roberts (Hahnville, La.) had a team-high six tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception in a 21-20 loss at Akron on Saturday. Roberts added a pass breakup against the Zips.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week:  Akron P/K Nick Gasser
Akron junior punter/kicker Nick Gasser (Liberty Township, Ohio) handled both the kickoff and punting duties in a 21-20 win over Buffalo.  Gasser kicked off four times for 241 yards, averaging 60.2 yards.  He also punted four times for 167 yards, including a 52-yard long punt, for a 41.8 average and no returns. His first punt of the game landed on the four-yard line. On the season, Gasser has kicked off 40 times for 2,305 yards (57.6 avg.) He has punted 50 times for 2,052 yards (41.0 avg.).
 
 
West Division:
Offensive Player of the Week:  Northern Illinois QB Marcus Childers
Northern Illinois redshirt-freshman quarterback Marcus Childers (Adairsville, Ga.) made his third career start and accounted for 332 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in a 30-27 (OT) win over Eastern Michigan on Thursday. Childers put together the best passing day of his collegiate career in a 14-point fourth quarter comeback to tie the game. Childers accounted for a career-best 332 yards of total offense with 278 yards on 23-40 passing and 54 yards on 16 carries on the ground.  Childers threw for two touchdowns (69 and five yards) and ran for one (10 yards) and did not throw an interception. With NIU trailing 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter, Childers hit Shane Wimann for 50 yards, setting up his eventual five-yard touchdown pass to Wimann. He then tied the game with his 10-yard touchdown run after the Huskies blocked a punt to send the game into overtime. 
 
Defensive Player of the Week:  Northern Illinois DE Sutton Smith
Northern Illinois sophomore defensive end Sutton Smith (St. Charles, Mo.) collected six tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack for seven yards and one pass defensed in a 30-27 (OT) win over Eastern Michigan on Thursday. With his three TFLs, Smith has already tied the NIU school record for most tackles for loss in a season with 20 (Scott Kellar, 20 tackles for loss, 1984). Smith leads the FBS in tackles for loss and is tied for second in sacks.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week: Toledo PR Diontae Johnson
Toledo sophomore punt returner Diontae Johnson (Ruskin, Fla.) returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown in a 58-17 win at Ball State on Thursday. Johnson also caught four passes for a career-high 170 receiving yards and two touchdowns from both 67 and 88 yards. He finished with 273 all-purpose yards.