by Per the MAC:
East Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Akron WR Dustin Burkhart
Akron junior wide receiver Dustin Burkhart (Akron, Ohio) had a career-high 217 receiving yards on eight receptions in a 31-20 loss to UAB on Saturday.
Burkhart had a career-long 64-yard catch in the fourth quarter. It also marked the first 100-yard receiving game of his career.
The last time an Akron receiver had more than 200 yards was in 2007 (Jabari Arthur, 223 yards vs. Western Michigan on Oct. 6, 2007).
Burkhart’s 217 receiving yards rank second on Akron’s all-time receiving yards for a game behind Arthur’s 223. His 64-yard catch is also the longest reception since Jerome Lane had a 64-yard catch against Bowling Green (11-6-16).
Defensive Player of the Week: Buffalo S Joey Banks
Buffalo senior safety Joey Banks (Sacramento, Calif.) had a career-high 11 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble in a 45-13 loss to No. 15-ranked Penn State on Saturday.
The senior safety had six solo stops which were also a career high. Banks also had one of the Bulls’ three sacks in the game and he added a forced fumble that was recovered by teammate Aapri Washington.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Kent State K Matt Trickett
Kent State sophomore kicker Matt Trickett (Cleveland, Ohio) matched a career high with four field goals, including a pair of clutch field goals in a 26-23 overtime win over Kennesaw State.
After hitting from 32 and 29, Trickett drilled a 39-yard field goal with nine seconds left to force overtime. In that extra frame, Trickett walked off the Owls with a center-cut 43-yard field goal. Trickett also booted a pair of touchbacks on his six kickoffs.
West Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Ball State QB Drew Plitt
Ball State junior quarterback Drew Plitt (Loveland, Ohio) tied a school record with six touchdown passes and set a career high with 439 yards passing in a 57-29 win over Fordham. Plitt’s six touchdown passes tied the school mark with Keith Wenning (6 vs. Miami (Ohio) in 2013) and is tied for fifth in MAC history for touchdown passes in a single-game.
Plitt notched career highs in completions (32) and passing yards (439), as his 439 passing yards ranked fourth on Ball State’s single game passing list. Overall, Plitt completed 80 percent of his pass attempts by completing 32-40 of his pass attempts in the win over Fordham.
Defensive Player of the Week: Eastern Michigan DB Brody Hoying
Eastern Michigan senior defensive back Brody Hoying (Coldwater, Ohio) collected nine tackles and added a half-sack in a 38-17 loss at Kentucky. Hoying was part of an Eagle defense that tallied two sacks and two tackles for loss in the road contest in Lexington, Ky.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Central Michigan P Brady Buell
Central Michigan sophomore punter Brady Buell (Traverse City, Mich.) punted nine times for 407 yards, an average of 45.2 yards per punt, in a 61-0 loss at No. 17-ranked Wisconsin. Buell had a long of 50 yards and one punt downed inside the 20.
Content written by Ken Mather, Associate Commissioner/Media & Public Relations,
