DALLAS – After a standout performance for the Aggies in their dominant 31-10 win at Auburn last week, New Mexico State QB Diego Pavia was voted CUSA Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. Pavia’s teammate LB Gabe Peterson took home Defensive Player of the Week honors following a six-tackle performance with two tackles for loss and a sack in the win at Auburn. Jax State DB Kekoura Tarnue was named CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week after blocking a punt, scooping it up and returning it 21 yards for a touchdown in a win over LA Tech. The 2023 CUSA Players of the Week awards are presented by Blenders Eyewear and are voted on by a panel of the league’s media.
Pavia led New Mexico State to arguably its best win in program history as he threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-10 road victory over Auburn after entering the game as 26-point underdogs. Pavia helped lead an Aggie offense which became just the second team this season to score more than 30 points against Auburn. This also marks the ninth time this season that Pavia has thrown multiple touchdown passes. The win over the Tigers marked the Aggies first win over an SEC program in its long history. With the win, NM State became the first non-Power Five program to defeat Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2007. With Saturday’s performance, Pavia now ranks 18th in the nation in passing touchdowns (22), 12th in the nation in passing yards per completion (12) and 33rd in the nation in total offense per game (266.3).
Peterson tied for the team lead in tackles with six in Saturday’s historic win over Auburn. This included four solo tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. Peterson led a defensive charge that limited the ninth-ranked rushing attack in the country to 65 yards on the ground and just 15 rushing yards in the second half. The output from the Auburn rushing attack marked just the second time in the last two seasons that the Tigers have been held to fewer than 100 rushing yards in a game and the 65-yard total is the fewest by an Auburn team since Nov. 27, 2021, when Alabama held them to 22 yards on the ground.
Tarnue had the biggest special teams play of the day for the Gamecocks and set the tone for Jax State’s blowout win over LA Tech on Saturday. With a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, Tarnue blocked a LA Tech punt, recovered it and scored from 21 yards out. it was Jax State’s first blocked punt return for a score this season.
2023 WINNERS
Offensive Player of the Week
A28 – WR Smoke Harris, LA Tech
S4 – WR Kris Mitchell, FIU
S11 – RB Kejon Owens, FIU
S18 – QB Kaidon Salter, Liberty
S25 – QB Kaidon Salter, Liberty
O2 – QB Logan Smothers, Jax State
O9 – WR Malachi Corley, WKU
O16 – QB Diego Pavia, New Mexico State
O23 – QB Zion Webb, Jax State
O30 – QB Kaidon Salter, Liberty
N6 – RB Quinton Cooley, Liberty
N13 – QB Kaidon Salter, Liberty
N20 – QB Diego Pavia, New Mexico State
Defensive Player of the Week
A28 – S Jeremiah Harris, Jax State
S4 – LB JaQues Evans, WKU
S11 – LB Tyrice Knight, UTEP
S18 – LB Sam Brumfield, MTSU
S25 – DL Chris Hardie, Jax State
O2 – LB Bryson Washington, WKU
O9 – DL Chris Hardie, Jax State
O16 – DL Maurice Westmoreland, UTEP
O23 – LB Reggie Peterson, FIU
O30 – DL J-Rock Swain, Jax State
N6 – DB Da’Marcus Crosby, Sam Houston
N13 – LB Kavian Gaither, Sam Houston
N20 – LB Gabe Peterson, New Mexico State
Special Teams Player of the Week
A28 – P Jack Dawson, Jax State
S4 – K Lucas Carneiro, WKU
S11 – K Jacob Barnes, LA Tech
S18 – K Ethan Albertson, New Mexico State
S25 – P Jack Dawson, Jax State
O2 – PR Smoke Harris, LA Tech
O9 – P Max Morgan, Liberty
O16 – P Joshua Sloan, UTEP
O23 – K Alen Karajic, Jax State
O30 – K Buzz Flabiano, UTEP
N6 – K Colby Sessums, Sam Houston
N13 – K Ethan Albertson, New Mexico State
N20 – DB Kekoura Tarnue, Jax State
-ConferenceUSA.com-
