Hopkins, Lewis Earn League Honors

Watch for the reveal of the #MWFB Players of the Week 🏈👏

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🎰 @unlvfootball#AtThePEAK | #GoLobos | #BEaREBEL pic.twitter.com/8q9zyTUNKK

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) October 23, 2023

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — After leading UNM to a resounding conference victory over Hawai’i, the Lobos picked up some hardware from the Mountain West.  Senior quarterback Dylan Hopkins was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, and sophomore safety Jermarius Lewis was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week.

Rounding out the league honors were a UNLV tandem, as kicker Jose Pizano was the Special Teams Player of the Week and quarterback Jayden Maiava is the Freshman of the Week.

For New Mexico, it’s been a while since UNM won the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week in the same week.  Back in 2006, receiver Marcus Smith and linebacker Michael Tuohy were both honored as Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week by the Mountain West after their performances against New Mexico State. The last time it happened against a conference opponent was in 2003 when DonTrell Moore earned the offensive honor and Daniel Gawronski earned the defensive honor against Air Force in 2003.

That 2003 year was the last time a Lobo offensive player was honored twice in the same season, as Moore was a two-time winner that year.  Hopkins, who was the MW Offensive POW earlier this year against Tennessee Tech is the first Lobo QB to be named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week twice in the same season.  The last time any Lobo QB was a league POW at least twice was Graham Leigh, who was the WAC Offensive Player of the Week four times in 1997.

Hopkins had a record setting day in leading UNM’s offense to 42 points as UNM scored on five of its first six drives, the lone non-scoring drive being when UNM ran one play before the half.  Hopkins went 20-for-25 for 202 yards and three touchdowns.  His 20-for-25 day broke the UNM record for completion percentage in a game with a minimum of 20 completions.  Hopkins threw touchdown passes of 28 and 17 yards to Jeremiah Hixon and 3 yards to Ryan Davis.  His three TD tosses gave him 10 on the season, and he is the ninth Lobo QB in the Mountain West era to hit double digit touchdowns.

Lewis, making just his third start, but first at right wolf safety, had a career game.  He tied forthe team lead with seven tackles, and he was a part of three takeaways.  Late in the third his sack-forced fumble of Brayden Schager ended a Hawai’i drive in the Lobo red zone as UNM recovered the fumble.  On the next two ensuing drives, Lewis picked off Schager in the end zone both times.  Lewis also added a pair of pass breakup to go with his forced fumble, two picks, sack and TFL.