LAS VEGAS, Nev. — For the second time this season, and the second time in three weeks, Darren Agu was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week. Agu also earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after UNM's 21-10 win at Hawai'i.
It also marked the third consecutive week that a Lobo was named Defensive Player of the Week, as Austin Brawley earned the honor after UNM's 21-16 win over North Dakota State. The Lobos are the first Mountain West team in 16 years to have three straight Defensive Player of the Week awards. Air Force last did it in 2010.
The other award winners were Kemper Hodges of Air Force for offense; Will Duncan of Air Force for special teams; and Marion Moore of North Dakota State for freshman.
Agu led a Lobo defense that allowed just 238 yards, and only 48 rushing yards, in a 21-16 win over San Jose State, UNM's first win in San Jose since 1969. Overall, he had six tackles (four solo), 3.0 TFLs for 20 yards, 2.0 sacks for 15 yards, and a hurry.
He stopped San Jose State's first drive on 3rd-and-8 with a tackle for just a 2-yard gain, forcing the first of three red zone field goals. He also stopped a second-quarter run for a 5-yard loss, forcing a punt, and UNM scored on the ensuing possession.
His first sack put SJSU into second-and-24 and led to UNM's first interception of the game, and his other sack came on SJSU's penultimate drive, after which UNM eventually forced a turnover on downs.
The win pushed UNM to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in Mountain West play, UNM's best conference start since a 5-0 start in 1970 when the Lobos were in the WAC. UNM earned national rankings of 22 in the AP Poll and 25 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The AP ranking was a first in program history.
The Lobos, who have now had a Mountain West honoree in six straight games, take on Nevada in Reno on Friday night at 7 pm Mountain Time on CBS Sports Network. The Lobos have never won in Reno, going 0-4-1, with the lone tie in 1942.