IRVING, Texas – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly football honors from Week 2 of the 2024 season.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Blake Horvath • Jr. • QB • Navy
Horvath led Navy to a 38-11 win against Temple, accounting for four touchdowns, as the Midshipmen amassed 409 yards of total offense and averaged 6.8 yards per play. Horvath rushed for a career-high 122 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, while he completed 5 of 9 passes for 112 yards and a TD. Horvath leads a Navy offense that has averaged a conference-leading 43.5 points through two games as Navy stands at 2-0 for the first time since 2019.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Elijah Herring • Jr. • LB • Memphis
A transfer from Tennessee, Herring led Memphis defensively in the Tigers’ 38-17 win against Troy, staking the Tigers to a 2-0 start for the 11th consecutive season. Herring had a team-high eight tackles with a sack, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as the Tigers limited the back-to-back Sun Belt champions to 17 points and 251 total yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Matthew Rhodes • Sr. • P/H • Army
Rhodes made a key fourth-quarter play to help secure Army’s 24-7 win at Florida Atlantic as the Black Knights extended their winning streak to six games and took their first conference game as a member of The American. Serving as the holder on Army’s field goal unit, Rhodes raced down the left sideline for a 23-yard touchdown, giving the Black Knights a 17-point lead.
HONORABLE MENTION
Noah Short • Jr. • RB • Army
Rushed for a career-high 160 yards on 11 carries in a 24-7 win at Florida Atlantic.
Rahjai Harris • Gr. • RB • East Carolina
Rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns, both of which gave East Carolina a lead, in a 20-14 win at Old Dominion.
Mario Anderson Jr. • Sr. • RB • Memphis
Rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and had four receptions for 23 yards in a 38-17 win against Troy.
Colin Ramos • Sr. • LB • Navy
Had 15 tackles with 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup in a 38-11 win against Temple.
Darian Mensah • RFr. • QB • Tulane
Completed 19 of 29 passes for a career-high 342 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-27 loss to No. 16/17 Kansas State.
2024 OffensIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2 Chandler Morris, QB, North Texas
Sept. 9 Blake Horvath, QB, Navy
2024 Defensive PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2 Rayshawn Pleasant, CB, Tulane
Sept. 9 Elijah Herring, LB, Memphis
2024 SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2 Kamdyn Benjamin, WR/PR, Tulsa
Sept. 9 Matthew Rhodes, P/H, Army
