FARMINGTON, Utah (Sept. 19, 2022) - Bronson Barron (Weber State), Patrick O’Connell (Montana) and Ricardo Chavez were honored after their impressive performances over the weekend as the trio was named Big Sky Football Players of the Week, presented by Cloverdale Plumbing.
Offensive Player of the Week - Bronson Barron (Weber State)
Weber State's Bronson Barron was named the Big Sky Football Offensive Player of the Week after passing for a career-high 368 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-14 victory over Utah Tech. The four-touchdown game was the second of Barron's career, as he had scores of 13, 35, 36 and 17 yards in the win. Barron also became the 17th player in WSU history to reach 3,000 career passing yards after racking up 368 yards on Saturday.
Defensive Player of the Week - Patrick O’Connell (Montana)
Montana's Patrick O’Connell was selected as the Big Sky Football Defensive Player of the Week after a monster day for the Grizzly defense in a 49-14 win. O’Connell finished the game with nine tackles, three for loss, and had 2.5 sacks on the day. The Buck Buchanan Award hopeful also forced a fumble on his first sack of the day which resulted in a scoop and score by fellow Grizzly Kale Edwards.
Special Teams Player of the Week - Ricardo Chavez (Idaho)
Idaho's Ricardo Chavez went 4-for-4 on field goals of 31, 25, 44 and 36, while also connecting on a pair of PATs to earn Big Sky Football Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Chavez also handled punting duties, logging three kicks for 111 yards which included a drop inside the 20. The Vandal kicker is a perfect 6-for-6 on field goals so far this season.
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Others Nominated
Off: Lucas Johnson (Montana), Jermaine Jackson (Idaho), Asher O'Hara (Sac State), Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. (UC Davis)
Def: Marte Mapu (Sac State), Elijah Anderson-Taylor (UNC), Abraham Williams (Weber State), Paul Moala (Idaho)
ST: Kyle
Sentkowksi (Sac State), Marqui Johnson (Montana State), Haze Hadley (Weber State), Patrick Rohrbach (Montana)
Past Big Sky Football Players of the Week
9/5 - Off: Gunner Talkington (EWU); Def: Braxton Hill (UM); ST: Cameron Skattebo (Sac State)
9/12 - Off: Jaden Jones (CP); Co-Def: Rex Connors (UCD)/Desmond Williams (WSU); ST: Taco Dowler (MSU)
9/19 - Off: Bronson Barron (Weber State); Def: Patrick O’Connell (Montana); ST: Ricardo Chavez (Idaho)