Mid-American Conference

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WEEK ONE
FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE, SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
 
East Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Ohio QB Nathan Rourke
Ohio sophomore quarterback Nathan Rourke (Ontario, Canada) was 6-10 passing for 72 yards, while rushing six times for 55 yards and scoring three rushing touchdowns to lead Ohio to a 59-0 win over Hampton. Ohio racked up 420 yards of total offense and Rourke was the first Bobcat to rush for three or more touchdowns since Beau Blankenship in 2012.
 
Defensive Player of the Week:  Buffalo LB Khalil Hodge
Buffalo junior linebacker Khalil Hodge (Stockton, Calif.) had a career-high 20 tackles in a 17-7 loss at Minnesota in the season opener. Hodge had eight solo tackles and assisted on 12 others. It was the most tackles in a game by a Buffalo player since 2008. Hodge helped lead a Buffalo defense that limited Minnesota to just 17 points, including only three in the second half.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week:  Kent State P Derek Adams
Kent State sophomore punter Derek Adams (Manheim, Pa.) punted 11 times for 511 yards (46.5 avg.) in a setback at Clemson. Adams had four punts of 50 yards or more, including a 66-yarder that was downed at the eight-yard line.  Adams also had a 56-yarder downed at the Clemson 11-yard line.   
 
 
West Division
Offensive Player of the Week:  Eastern Michigan RB Ian Eriksen
Eastern Michigan junior running back Ian Eriksen (Clarkston, Mich.) paced the Eagles offense in a 24-7 win over Charlotte on Friday, Sept. 1. Eriksen rushed for 37 yards on seven carries, averaging a team-best 5.3 yards per touch. Eriksen punched in two scores, marking the fourth time in his career that he has found the end zone twice in a single game.
 
Defensive Player of the Week:  Ball State DE Anthony Winbush
Ball State senior defensive end Anthony Winbush (Indianapolis, Ind.) had a career-high three sacks and seven tackles in a 24-21 loss at Illinois. Two of his sacks came on back-to-back plays in the third quarter that forced Illinois out of field goal range. He was part of defense that held Illinois to 216 yards of total offense, almost 100 yards below its 2016 average.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week: Western Michigan KR Darius Phillips
Western Michigan senior kickoff returner Darius Phillips (Detroit, Mich.) recorded his third career 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and his fourth kickoff return for a touchdown overall in his career on Saturday at No. 4 USC in a 49-31 road loss. He finished with four kickoff returns for 168 total yards (42.0 avg.) and the 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Moments after the Trojans pulled ahead for the first time since their opening drive, taking a 28-21 lead in the fourth quarter, Phillips stunned the Los Angeles Coliseum faithful with his 100-yard return to tie the score at 28-28 with 7:54 left in the game. Phillips also had a 20-yard interception in the contest, and finished with 188 all-purpose yards.