MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK THREE FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE, SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

East Division

Offensive Player of the Week: Buffalo WR K.J. Osborn

Buffalo junior wide receiver K.J. Osborn (Ypsilanti, Mich.) had seven catches for a career-high 188 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-28 win over Eastern Michigan. Osborn had touchdown receptions of 8, 70 and 75 yards. He tied his career high in receptions and receiving touchdowns. Osborn’s 188 receiving yards was the sixth highest single-game total in school history and the fourth best single-game effort in Buffalo’s FBS era.

Defensive Player of the Week:  Akron DB Alvin Davis

Akron senior defensive back Alvin Davis (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had a big night in Akron’s stunning 39-34 victory at Northwestern on Saturday night with two interceptions returned for touchdowns and 10 tackles. In the third quarter Davis had his first interception and he returned it 97 yards for a touchdown to bring the Zips within two points, 21-19. Davis’ 97-yard interception tied for second-longest in program history (Bill Darulis, 97-yard INT return vs. Mount Union, 1932).

In the fourth quarter, Davis had his second interception with a 50-yard return for a touchdown to give Akron a 39-28 lead with 7:24 left in the fourth quarter. It was the first multi-interception and multi-touchdown game of his collegiate career. Davis finished the game with 10 tackles, two interceptions for 147 return yards, and two touchdowns.

Special Teams Player of the Week:  Ohio K/P Michael Farkas

Ohio junior kicker and punter Michael Farkas (Mishawaka, Ind.) recorded six punts for 282 yards in a 45-31 loss to Virginia on Sept. 15 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. His longest punt went for 59 yards in the first quarter, and he also produced a 52-yard punt in the first quarter and a 57-yard punt in the fourth quarter, helping him average 47 yards per punt. Three of his six punts ended up inside Virginia’s 20-yard line. Farkas also kicked off four times, with all four going for touchbacks for a 65-yard average.

He successfully executed an onside kick in the second quarter that was recovered by junior linebacker Eric Popp. Two plays later, quarterback Nathan Rourke hit redshirt freshman Isiah Cox for a 36-yard touchdown to cut Ohio’s deficit to two touchdowns.

West Division

Offensive Player of the Week:  Toledo WR Diontae Johnson

Toledo junior wide receiver Diontae Johnson (Ruskin, Fla.) caught six passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-24 loss to No. 21-ranked Miami. His scoring catches went for 7 and 40 yards. It was his seventh 100-yard receiving game of his career and the fifth time he has caught multiple touchdowns in a game. He also returned one kickoff for 40 yards.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Eastern Michigan P Jake Julien

Eastern Michigan sophomore punter Jake Julien (Barrie, Ontario, Canada) had five punts for 245 yards and a 49.0 average in a 35-28 loss at Buffalo. Two of his punts registering for over 50 yards, including a long of 68-yards that pinned Buffalo at their own eight-yard line. His 68-yard punt was the longest from by an Eastern Michigan player since Brogan Roback’s 66-yard effort against Kentucky last season. Overall, Julien ranks eighth nationally in punting average at 46.3 yards per boot.

Defensive Player of the Week: Central Michigan LB Malik Fountain
Central Michigan senior linebacker Malik Fountain (Chicago, Ill.) had a career-high 18 tackles in a 24-16 loss at Northern Illinois. The senior had eight solo stops and tallied a key sack for a loss of 13 yards.