KORE - Fox Sports Eugene

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

OFFENSE:  Shedeur Sanders, Jr., QB, Colorado (Dallas, Texas)

• 38-of-47 (.809) for 510 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 200.1 QBR 
• Set 9 school records including most passing yards in game with the best completion percentage and QB rating for 40-plus passing attempts in CU history. 
• Leads the nation in passing ypg and completions per game while 9th in completion percentage so far this season. 
• Most yards in an FBS debut for a Pac-12 school all-time 
• 24-3 as a starting quarterback in college with 22 straight regular season wins. 
• His 4 touchdowns surpassed the total that Colorado had on the road in 2022, coming up with 3 in 6 games.
• First Colorado player named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week since RB Jarek Broussard did it twice in 2020.  First Colorado QB to earn this honor since 2016 when Sefo Liufau won it twice and Steven Montez once.

Also nominated:  Cameron Ward, QB, Washington State; DJ Uiagalelei, QB, Oregon State; Michael Penix, Jr., QB, Washington; Bryson Barnes, QB, Utah; Jaydn Ott, RB, California; Caleb Williams, QB, USC; Xavier Guillory, WR, Arizona State; Jayden de Laura, QB, Arizona; Bo Nix, QB, Oregon; J. Michael Sturdivant, WR, UCLA; Benjamin Yurosek, TE, Stanford

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

DEFENSE:  Travis Hunter, So., CB/WR, Colorado (Suwanee, Ga.)

• Had a red-zone interception, pass breakup and 3 tackles, including a touchdown-saving tackle before his interception that allowed CU to keep it a one-score game. 
• Also played offense and set a CU record with 11 receptions in a starting debut. 
• Tied with teammate Jimmy Horn Jr. for 2nd in FBS with 11.0 receptions per game.
• First player in at least the last 20 years nationally to have a 100-yard receiving and interception in the same game
• 1 of 4 Colorado receivers to have at least 100 receiving yards against TCU. Only the 2nd time since at least 1996 that a Pac-12 school had four players with 100+ receiving yards in the same game (USC vs UCLA, 2019).
• First Colorado player named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week since LB Nate Landman did it twice in 2020.  First Colorado DB to earn the honor since Tedric Thompson won it twice in 2016.

Also nominated: Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State; Laiatu Latu, DL, UCLA; Jonah EllissI, DE, Utah; Jackson Sirmon, LB, California; Martell Irby, DB, Arizona; Davon Banks, CB, Washington; Shane Lee, ILB, USC; Tysheem Johnson, DB, Oregon; Dashaun Mallory, DL, Arizona State; David Bailey, OLB, Stanford; Kitan Oladapo, DB, Oregon State

SPECIAL TEAMS:  Jack Bouwmeester, So., P, Utah (Bendigo, Australia)

• Punted 6 times (average 51.8 yards) with a career-long of 64 yards during Utah’s win over Florida. 
• 7th in FBS in punting average this season.
• Became the first Utah punter since 2014 to have multiple 60-yard punts in a game. 
• Four of his six punts went for 50 yards or longer. Three landed inside the Florida 20-yard line and he had one touchback. 
• His 64-yard boot came from inside his own end zone and left the Gators to take over all the way back at their own 31-yard line. 
• It was the longest punt by a Ute since 2018.
• First Utah player to win Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week since WR/KR Britain Covey won it twice in 2021.  First Utah punter to earn the honor since Mitch Wishnowsky in 2018.

Also nominated:  Zachariah Branch, WR, USC; Tacario Davis, CB, Arizona; Dean Janikowski, K, Washington State; Joshua Karty, K, Stanford; Bryce Boettcher, ILB, Oregon; Atticus Sappington, K, Oregon State;  Miles Williams, DB, California;  James Djonkum, LB, Arizona State; R.J. Lopez, K, UCLA

OFFENSIVE LINE:  Brian Driscoll, RS Jr., LG/C, California (San Diego, Calif.)

• Started at left guard before moving to center after starter Matthew Cindric left the game with an injury in Cal’s 58-21 season-opening win at North Texas. 
• Would end up playing 83 snaps in the contest and was Cal’s highest-graded offense lineman for a unit that did not allow a sack. 
• Cal’s 58 points were its most since a 73-14 win over Grambling State to open the 2015 campaign, while its 669 yards of total offense were its most ever in a road game, the fifth-most in school history, and most in a game since Cal registered 680 in a 48-46 home victory over Arizona State in 2015. 
• Cal finished with 357 yards rushing and 312 yards passing to mark only the second time in school history Cal has had at least 312 yards both rushing and passing. 
• After Week 1 games, Cal is fourth in the nation in total offense (669.0 ypg) and rushing offense (357.0 ypg), as well as eighth in scoring offense (58.0 ppg).
• First Cal player to win Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week since Ben Coleman in Week 4 of last season.

Also nominated: Jake Levengood, C, Oregon State; Josh Conerly Jr., LT, Oregon; Keaton Bills, LG, Utah; Matteo Mele, C, Washington; Fa’allili Fa’amoe, RT, Washington State; Jonah Monheim, LT, USC; Wendell Moe, LG, Arizona; Connor McLaughlin, RT, Stanford; Leif Fautanu, C, Arizona State

DEFENSIVE LINE:  David Bailey, So., OLB, Stanford (Irvine, Calif.)

• Finished with 6 tackles (all solo), 4.0 TFL (25 yards), 3.0 Sacks (20 yards), and a QBH
• First multi-sack game of his career
• Tied for 1st in FBS with 3.0 sacks per game this season with UCLA’s Laiatu Latu. 
• 2nd in FBS with 4.0 TFL per game.
• 3.0 sacks in the game are the most for a Cardinal player since Henry Anderson in 2014
• First Stanford player to be named Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week since the award was created prior to the 2019 season.

Also nominated:  Laiatu Latu, DL, UCLA; Jonah Elliss, DE, Utah; Stanley Ta’ufo’ou, DL, USC; Brett Johnson, DL, California; James Rawls, DL, Oregon State; Jordan Burch, DE, Oregon; Dashaun Mallory, DL, Arizona State

FRESHMAN:  Dylan Edwards, Fr., RB, Colorado (Derby, Kan.)

• 5 receptions, 135 yards, 3 receiving TD; 6 rush, 24 yards, 1 rush TD
• Tied for lead in the nation in scoring after the first week (24.0 ppg)
• Became the fourth true freshman in the last 27 seasons to score four touchdowns in an FBS debut and is the first in the past seven years to accomplish the feat. 
• 13th in FBS with 177.0 all-purpose yards per game.
• 10th in FBS with 135.0 receiving yards per game.
• Set 3 school records, most receiving yards by a running back, most receiving touchdowns in a game and most receiving touchdowns by a running back. 
• First true freshman RB to start a season opener at Colorado since 1991 (Kent Kahl). 
• First Colorado player to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week since WR/KR Jordyn Tyson in Week 9 of last season, the only other time a Buff has won the award since it was created prior to the 2019 season.

Also nominated:  Jaden Rashada, QB, Arizona State; Dante Moore, QB, UCLA; Zachariah Branch, WR, USC; Jack Endries, TE, California; Sione Fotu, S, Utah; John Mateer, QB, Washington State; Jayden Limar, RB, Oregon; Tiger Bachmeier, WR, Stanford

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

– Pac-12.com –