IRVING, Texas – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly football honors for the eighth week of the 2020 season.
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Desmond Ridder • Cincinnati • Jr. • QB • Louisville, Ky.
Ridder, who was chosen as the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week, led Cincinnati to a 42-13 win against then-No. 16 SMU. Ridder accounted for 305 yards of offense and four touchdowns against the previously unbeaten Mustangs. He rushed for 179 yards and and three touchdowns and was 13-of-21 passing for 126 yards and a TD. He capped his performance with a 91-yard touchdown run, which ranks as the fifth-longest rushing play in American Athletic Conference history and the second-longest by a quarterback.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Zaven Collins • Tulsa • Jr. • LB • Hominy, Okla.
Collins led a defense that limited USF to 13 points and 305 total yards in a 42-13 victory against the Bulls. He finished with six tackles, including five solo stops, to go with a forced fumble and a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown. His forced fumble ended a USF drive at the Tulsa 6-yard line just before halftime, while his interception provided a backbreaking score to give the Golden Hurricane a 35-13 second-half lead
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dalton Witherspoon • Houston • Sr. • K • Moore, Okla.
Witherspoon scored 13 points, going 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and 4-for-4 on PATs to help Houston to a 37-21 victory at Navy. Witherspoon accounted for 10 of Houston’s 16 first-half points, including a 53-yard field goal that tied the Cougars’ program record. Witherspoon also was successfl from 33 and 45 yards, while his four extra points extended his streak to 125 consecutive made PATs.
HONOR ROLL
Dillon Gabriel • UCF • So. • QB
Completed 26 of 40 passes for 422 yards and five touchdowns in a 51-34 win against Tulane.
Marlon Williams • UCF • Sr. • WR
Had nine receptions for 174 yards and three touchdowns in a 51-34 win against Tulane.
Jarell White • Cincinnati • Sr. • LB
Had a game-high 13 tackles with a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup in a 42-13 win at No. 16 SMU.
Marquez Stevenson • Houston • Sr. • WR
Matched his career high with nine receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-21 win at Navy.
Calvin Austin III • Memphis • Jr. • WR
Had six receptions for a career-high 184 yards and a touchdown in a 41-29 win against Temple.