Big Sky ROOT SPORTS Players of the Week - Oct. 1
OGDEN, Utah (October 1, 2018) – The Big Sky Conference announced its ROOT SPORTS Players of the Week. Idaho State’s James Madison picked up ROOT SPORTS Offensive Player of the Week, Montana’s Dante Olson was named ROOT SPORTS Defensive Player of the Week, and Roldan Alcobendas of Eastern Washington earned ROOT SPORTS Special Teams Player of the Week.
Madison, a senior running back, had no problem adding yardage to his resume on Saturday when he rushed for a season-high 146 yards on 19 carries in Idaho State’s 56-42 win over Northern Arizona. Madison averaged 7.7 yards per carry as he made his way to the endzone twice on scores from 51 and 4 yards out. He also caught one pass for 21 yards. Idaho State’s 315 rushing yards as a team, tied for the sixth most in a game since 2007. This is the first honor of the season for Madison.
Olson registered a remarkable 24 tackles - 12 solo, 12 assisted - in the Grizzlies’ 48-28 road win over Cal Poly. The junior linebacker’s 24 tackles were the second-most of any UM player since 1989 and lead the FCS after Week 5. Olson leads all players in 2018 with three weekly honors.
Alcobendas converted field goals of 24 and 25 yards versus the Bobcats to remain perfect on the season at 5-for-5. He also converted four extra points and punted four times for a 46.8 average with a long of 60 to help Eastern Washington to a 34-17 win over Montana State. Three of Alcobendas’ punts were downed inside the MSU 20-yard line, and the average field position for MSU after his punts was the 14-yard line. This is Alcobendas’ first honor of the season.
Other Nominees for ROOT SPORTS Offensive Player of the Week: Gage Gubrud, EWU; Isaiah Saunders, UI; Dalton Sneed, UM; Troy Andersen, MSU.
Other Nominees for ROOT SPORTS Defensive Player of the Week: Ketner Kupp, EWU; Jalen Hoover, UI; Christian Holland, ISU; Greg Filer, MSU; Kasun Jackett, PSU.
Other Nominees for ROOT SPORTS Special Teams Player of the Week: Lloyd Hightower, UI; Tim Semenza, UM.
The ROOT SPORTS Game of the Week will be on Oct. 6 when Southern Utah visits Eastern Washington. Kickoff in Cheney is scheduled for 12 p.m. PT.
To stay up-to-date with the Big Sky Conference, follow us on Facebook at /BigSkyConf or on Instagram and Twitter @BigSkyConf. Fans can also follow Big Sky football on Twitter @BigSkyFB.