Aaron Rodriguez Named Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week
#𝐌𝐖𝐅𝐁 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 🏈 pic.twitter.com/bDoQdNxqpt
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) September 30, 2024
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Aaron Rodriguez didn’t go to Las Cruces with the football team on Friday, staying back in Albuquerque to participate in the UNM Nursing School’s Pledge Ceremony, earning his nursing school coat as he prepares for his first professional rotation.
It certainly didn’t affect his play on Saturday.
Rodriguez was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week after a brilliant punting performance on Saturday, averaging 45.8 yards per punt on four punts, helping UNM win the field position battle early in the game.
Rodriguez’ first punt was a 49-yarder that landed at the 2-yard line and kicked straight out of bounds there. It was a huge turning point in the game as the New Mexico State Aggies drove from the 2-yard line to the Lobo 40, where NMSU missed a 57-yard field goal attempt, keeping the game tied at 7-7.
On his next punt, he hit a season-long 56-yard boot that went out of bound at the 4-yard line, again pinning NMSU deep. That flip of the field helped UNM score the go-ahead touchdown on the next drive, giving UNM a lead it would never relinquish.
Other award winners were Ashton Jeanty from Boise State on offense, Jalen Catalon of UNLV on defense, and Caden Chittenden of UNLV as freshman of the week.
The Lobos are off this weekend before hosting Air Force on Saturday, October 12 at 5 pm in a game broadcast on truTV/MAX.