PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly football honors for Week 9 of the college football season.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
D’Eriq King • So. • QB • Houston • Manvel, Texas
King led Houston to a 28-24 win against No. 17/14 USF, snapping the Bulls’ winning streak at 12 games. King took over at quarterback midway through the first quarter and completed 12 of 20 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 83 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. With Houston trailing by three points, King converted a fourth-and-24 with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter to keep the final drive alive, a drive capped by King’s 20-yard touchdown run with 11 seconds left to give the Cougars the winning points.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Genard Avery • Sr. • LB • Memphis • Grenada, Miss.
Avery becomes the third straight Memphis player to earn Defensive Player of the Week honors after he turned in a record-breaking performance in the Tigers’ 56-26 win against Tulane. Avery finished with eight tackles, which included an American Athletic Conference-record 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks to go with quarterback hurry. Avery led a Memphis defense that set a school record with 13 tackles for loss and had seven sacks against the Green Wave.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Mike Hughes • Jr. • CB • UCF • New Bern, N.C.
Hughes had 105 yards on returns to help UCF to a 73-33 win against Austin Peay as the Knights improved to 7-0 for the first time in program history. Hughes had a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and had a 14-yard punt return against the Governors. Hughes, who had three tackles on defense, enters this week as the national leader in punt return average (20.5 ypr) and is the only player in school history to have scored touchdowns on a kickoff return, a punt return and an interception return in his career and is the only player nationally to have done that this season.
HONOR ROLL
McKenzie Milton • So. • QB • UCF • Kapolei, Hawaii
Completed 24 of 26 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing TD in a 73-33 win against Austin Peay.
D’Juan Hines • Sr. • LB • Houston • Spring, Texas
Had a game-high 13 tackles with 2.0 tackles for loss in a 28-24 win against USF.
Deadrin Senat • Sr. • DT • USF • Immokalee, Fla.
Had 12 tackles with 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in a 28-24 loss to Houston.
Justin Lawler • Sr. • DE • SMU • Pottsboro, Texas
Had eight tackles with a sack and 3.0 tackles for loss in a 38-34 win against Tulsa.
Trey Quinn • Jr. • WR • SMU • Lake Charles, La.
Had eight receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-34 win against Tulsa.