MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WEEK TEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

East Division

Offensive Player of the Week: Buffalo QB Tyree Jackson

Buffalo junior quarterback Tyree Jackson (Norton Shores, Mich.) accounted for six touchdowns in a 51-42 win over Miami on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Jackson threw for three touchdowns and ran for a career-best three more. Jackson went 20-of-34 for a season-high 358 yards passing and three touchdowns, passes of 75, 20 and 10 yards. With his three touchdown runs, he became the first quarterback in the Bulls’ FBS era (since 1999) to score three rushing touchdowns in a game. He became just the second quarterback in the country this season to throw for three and rush for three touchdowns in the same game.

Defensive Player of the Week: Kent State LB Dalton Hicks

Kent State junior linebacker Dalton Hicks (Delphos, Ohio) led the Flashes with a career-high 14 tackles in a 35-28 win at Bowling Green on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Hicks made six solo tackles and had a pass breakup as Kent State held Bowling Green to just 86 yards rushing.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Ohio S Alvin Floyd

Ohio redshirt freshman safety Alvin Floyd (North Miami Beach, Fla.) returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in a 59-14 win at Western Michigan on Thursday, Nov. 1. Floyd became the first Bobcat to return a blocked punt for a touchdown since Melvin Payne ran one back for a score in 2009 at Akron. With just under three minutes to play in the first quarter, junior special teams ace DL Knock blocked a punt by Western Michigan’s Nick Mihalic, and the loose football was scooped up by Floyd and returned 13 yards for a touchdown to help extend Ohio’s lead to 21-0. Floyd’s touchdown return helped the Bobcats pile up 45 first-half points en route to the victory – the most scored in one half during 14th-year head coach Frank Solich’s tenure.

West Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Northern Illinois RB Tre Harbison

Northern Illinois sophomore running back Tre Harbison (Shelby, N.C.) ran for a career high 169 yards on 23 carries with a two-yard touchdown run to power the Huskies’ offense in a 36-26 win at Akron on Thursday, Nov. 1. Harbison averaged 7.3 yards per carry as he picked up yardage and added a career-high three catches for 18 yards to total 187 all-purpose yards, the most by a Huskie in a game this year. Harbison did much of his damage in the first half with 122 yards on 14 carries for an 8.7-yard average. His touchdown capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive in the second quarter to give NIU a 14-7 lead.

Defensive Player of the Week: Northern Illinois DB Jalen McKie
Northern Illinois redshirt freshman Jalen McKie (Gurnee, Ill.) made three huge plays in the Huskies’ 36-26 win at Akron, including a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions, the first of which he returned for 23 yards for a touchdown to extend NIU’s lead to 10 points with 9:05 to play. It was the first interceptions, and first touchdown, of his career, as well as the first defensive touchdown of the year for the Huskies. His second interception came on Akron’s last possession of the game and enabled the Huskies to run out the clock. He added three solo tackles and broke up a pass in the end zone on third and goal to hold Akron to a field goal in the third quarter. Those plays on defense do not take into account McKie’s biggest play of the game when he caught Ben LeRoy’s blocked PAT in the air and ran it back 80 yards for two points, turning a potential tie game into a three-point Huskie lead late in the third quarter.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Toledo K Jameson Vest
Toledo senior kicker Jameson Vest (Peachtree City, Ga.) broke two career records in a 45-13 win over Ball State on Wednesday night. He connected on the 69th field goal of his career, breaking the previous school record held by Rusty Hanna (1989-92) and he successfully converted his 212th career extra point, topping Jason Robbins (2002-05) for the most in school history. Vest was 1-for-1 on field goals, a 29-yarder, and 6-for-6 on extra points for nine total points in the victory.