FARMINGTON, Utah (Sept. 11, 2023) - The Weber State duo of Damon Bankston and Jack Kelly, alongside Idaho's Ricardo Chavez were selected as Big Sky Football Players of the Week on Monday, following their performances in Week 2.
Offensive Player of the Week: Damon Bankston (Weber State)
Weber State's Damon Bankston was named the Big Sky Football Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for a league season-high 144 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's win at ranked Northern Iowa. Bankston had a two-yard touchdown in the first quarter, a 26-yard score in the second quarter and a 58-yard TD in the final minutes to seal the 34-17 victory for Weber State. The Wildcat also became the 33rd player in Weber State history to surpass the 1,000-career rushing yard mark after his performance on Saturday.
Defensive Player of the Week: Jack Kelly (Weber State)
Weber State's Jack Kelly had a monster day to snag Big Sky Football Defensive Player of the Week honors, as the linebacker helped the Wildcats shutout Northern Iowa in the second half to seal the 34-17 ranked victory. Kelly had four tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for Weber State on Saturday. Kelly and the Wildcats forced six UNI turnovers, with three fumbles and three interceptions, as Weber State earned the road victory.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Ricardo Chavez (Idaho)
Idaho's Ricardo Chavez did a little bit of everything to win Big Sky Football Special Teams Player of the Week honors, as he helped the Vandals pummel FBS foe Nevada over the weekend. Chavez tied his career-high, going 4-for-4 on field goals of 26, 34, 43 and 29 on the day, while nailing all three of his extra point attempts to bring his point total to 15 on the day. Chavez also hit punts of 60 and 70 yards for an average of 65.0 for the afternoon in the 33-6 win at Nevada.
Chavez was also rewarded for his efforts on the national stage, winning
FedEx Ground FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Chavez is the second Big Sky player to win national honors this season, following Montana State's Scottre Humphrey winning the freshman award last week.
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Others Nominated
Off: Gevani McCoy (Idaho), Kaiden Bennett (Sacramento State), Dante Chachere (Portland State), Efton Chism III (EWU), Nick Ostmo (Montana)
Def: Mathias Bertram (Idaho), Brock Mather (Sacramento State),
Isaiah Avery (Portland State), Ben Allen (EWU), Vincent King (UNC), Trevin Gradney (Montana)
ST: Gianni Smith (Portland State), Brendan Hall (Montana State), Nick Kokich (EWU), Cal McGough (Sacramento State), Jack Burgess (Weber State), Travis Benham (Montana)
2023 Big Sky Football Players of the Week
9/4: Hayden Hatten, Idaho (Offensive); Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly (Defensive); Abraham Williams, Weber State (Special Teams)
9/11: Damon Bankston, Weber State (Offensive); Jack Kelly, Weber State (Defensive); Ricardo Chavez, Idaho (Special Teams)