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The Pac-12 today announced its 2023 football season’s eighth weekly performance awards, presented by Nextiva. See below for Week Eight’s recognitions across the Conference and keep track of the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year watchlist here:

OFFENSE: Bryson Barnes, Jr., QB, Utah (Milford, Utah)

• Orchestrated an 11-play, 54-yard drive in the final 1:46 of play as Utah beat #18 USC in the Coliseum
• On that final drive, had 2 completions for 9 yards and a pair of keepers (13 and 26 yards) to set up Cole Becker’s game-winning field goal
• Passed 14-of-23 for a career-high 235 yards (long pass 53) on the night with 3 touchdowns
• 3 passing touchdowns marked Barnes’ first collegiate game with multiple scores through the air
• Ran the ball 10 times for a season-high 57 rushing yards and a score, finishing the night combining for 292 total yards of offense and having a hand in 4 touchdowns
• Had 44 rushing yards and 45 passing yards during the fourth quarter
• Utah’s 482 total yards of offense for the team were a season-high and most since the 2022 Pac-12 Championship vs. USC (533) 
• The Utes have eclipsed 400 total yards three times this season
• 7th different Pac-12 quarterback to win this season in 8 weeks
• 1st Utah player to win this award since QB Cameron Rising in Week 7 of last season

Also nominated: Bucky Irving, RB, Oregon; Lincoln Victor, WR, Washington State; Carson Steele, RB, UCLA; Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State

Check out the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Watchlist, presented by Nextiva, to learn more. 

DEFENSE:  Mishael Powell, Jr., CB, Washington (Seattle, Wash.)

• Provided the key play of the game in Washington’s 15-7 win over Arizona State when, with the Huskies trailing 7-6, intercepted a 4th down pass attempt at his own 11-yard line and returned it 89 yards for the UW’s lone touchdown of the game.  Powell’s score came with 8:11 left in the 4th quarter
• 89-yard return was the 6th longest interception return in Washington history, and the 5th longest for a score
• Powell, a former walk-on from Seattle, also had 3 tackles and an additional pass break-up in the win
• 1st Washington player to earn this honor since LB Carson Bruener in Week 9 of the 2021 season 

Also nominated: Shamari Simmons, S, Arizona State; Evan Williams, DB, Oregon; Van Fillinger, DE, Utah; Alex Johnson, DB, UCLA

SPECIAL TEAMS:  Cole Becker, Jr., K, Utah (Roseville, Calif.)

• 2-for-2 on field goal attempts at #18 USC, including a 38-yard game-winner as time expired 
• Also contributed a 33-yard field goal earlier in the 4th quarter, accounting for all of Utah’s 6 points in the quarter
• Was 4-for-4 on PATs, bringing his game scoring to 10 points
• Becker’s game-winner gave Utah it’s 26th final minute, game-winning score dating back to 1966 and 2nd this season. 6 have been on field goals as time expired; the last was in 2008
• It was also Becker’s 2nd collegiate walk-off field goal (while at Colorado, he hit a 43-yarder in an overtime win vs. Oregon State in 2021)
• 2nd Utah player to win this award this season after punter Jack Bouwmeester won twice (Week 1 & 3).  First Utah kicker to take home this honor since Jadon Redding won it twice in 2020

Also nominated:  Grady Gross, PK, Washington; Dean Janikowski, K, Washington State

OFFENSIVE LINE:  Sataoa Laumea, Jr., RT, Utah (Rialto, Calif.)

• Started at right tackle, protecting for an offense that produced a season-high 482 total yards, including 243 in the second half as Utah beat #18 USC 
• Part of an offensive line that allowed QB Bryson Barnes to finish 14-of-23 for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns, against just 1 sack and an interception
• Helped the squad rush for 235 yards on the night, highlighted by a 117-yard performance from Ja’Quinden Jackson and 68 yards by two-way player Sione Vaki
• 1st Utah player to win this award since Braeden Daniels in Week 7 of last season

Also nominated: Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon; Leif Fautanu, C, Arizona State

 

DEFENSIVE LINE:  Van Fillinger, Jr., DE, Utah (Draper, Utah)

• Made 4 tackles, including a 5-yard sack, and forced a fumble as Utah beat #18 USC.
• His sack was a 3rd down stop during the 3rd quarter, and forced USC to punt deep in its own territory. Utah marched down and scored a go-ahead touchdown on its ensuing drive
• On USC’s very next possession after Fillinger’s sack, he popped the ball out on the 3rd play of the drive. Utah recovered the fumble and scored another touchdown on a 5-play drive. 
• Was a force off the edge for a defense that allowed 2 touchdowns to begin the game, but settled down and forced 4 punts and a fumble on USC’s next 6 possessions (the other possession ran into halftime)
• After allowing 100 rushing yards to USC during the 1st quarter, the Trojans had just 45 rushing yards the rest of the game. It includes -3 yards on the ground during the second quarter. USC also averaged 10.5 yards per play in the first quarter and just four yards in the second quarter
• Fillinger now has a sack in back-to-back games
• 2nd time for Fillinger winning this award, also claiming it in Week 4 of 2021 as a true freshman
• 2nd Utah player to earn this honor this season with Jonah Elliss winning in both Week 4 and 5.

Also nominated:  Dashaun Mallory, DL, Arizona State; Matayo Uiagalelei, DE, Oregon; Gabriel Murphy, DL, UCLA

FRESHMAN:  Matayo Uiagalelei, Fr., DE, Oregon (Bellflower, Calif.)

• Recorded 1st career sack and first 2 TFLs of career in Oregon’s 38-24 win over Washington State 
• Led UO with 2.0 TFLs and was 1 of 6 Ducks with a sack
• Also matched season-high with 3 total tackles
• Earned a 77.9 tackling grade from Pro Football Focus, 4th best among Ducks
• 1st Oregon player to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week since 2021 when the Ducks were honored 4 times (Noah Sewell x2, Jeffrey Bassa, Byron Cardwell).  Matayo’s older brother, Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei, won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week in Week 6 of this season

Also nominated:  Mikey Matthews, WR, Utah;  C.J. Fite, DL, Arizona State

Date	Offensive	Defensive	Special Teams	Offensive            Line	Defensive Line	Freshman
Sept. 5	Shedeur Sanders, Colorado	Travis Hunter, Colorado	Jack Bouwmeester, Utah	Brian Driscoll California	David Bailey Stanford	Dylan Edwards, Colorado
Sept. 11	Bo Nix, Oregon	Ron Stone Jr., Washington State	Zachariah Branch, USC	Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, Colorado	Ron Stone Jr., Washington State	Dante Moore, UCLA
Sept. 18	Michael Penix, Jr., Washington	Shilo Sanders, Colorado	Jack Bouwmeester, Utah	Joshua Gray, Oregon State	Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Washington	Parker Brailsford, Washington
Sept. 25	Cameron Ward, Washington State	Karene Reid, Utah	Rome Odunze, Washington	Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon	Jonah Elliss, Utah	Tackett Curtis, USC
Oct. 2	Caleb Williams, USC	Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Oregon State	Lachlan Wilson, California	Tanner Miller, Oregon State	Jonah Elliss, Utah	Omarion Miller, Colorado
Oct. 9	DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State	Laiatu Latu, UCLA	Alejandro Mata, Colorado	Joshua Gray, Oregon State	Laiatu Latu, UCLA	Noah Fifita, Arizona
Oct. 16	Elic Ayomanor, Stanford	Ryan Cooper, Jr., Oregon State	Joshua Karty, Stanford	Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State	Sione Lolohea, Oregon State	Noah Fifita, Arizona
Oct. 23	Bryson Barnes, Utah	Mishael Powell, Washington	Cole Becker, Utah	Sataoa Laumea, Utah	Van Fillinger, Utah	Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon

– Pac-12.com –